


Life & Love in Unexpected Places

by sterlynsilverrose



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempted Assault, Glacial Burn, M/M, Mafia AU, Mentions of Underage Prostitution, Really really slow burn, Slow Burn, Violence, bigbangonice2018, original character death, reverse au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 04:54:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 79,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13674669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterlynsilverrose/pseuds/sterlynsilverrose
Summary: Victor is a teenage thief looking for easy money so he can buy his and Yuri’s next meal.Yuuri is a negotiator who works to keep a mafias in a particular alliance strong.Neither one have any idea what life and love is. But one chance meeting, and a pickpocketing gone wrong, has Yuuri reaching out to Victor in order to give him a chance to learn about life and love. But, is Yuuri really the best candidate to teach young Victor? Or will both come away with scars in the end?





	1. Chapter 1

_Why does it feel colder here than in Detroit?”_

Yuuri rubbed his gloved hands together and muttered to himself. Mila and Georgi had tried to warn him that it was colder in Russia this year. He probably should have gotten thicker gloves like they suggested. 

Yuuri should have known better. 

A shiver ran down his spine as he threaded easily between everyone, walking with more purpose than the people dawdling as they window-shopped. It was 6 P.M. and most of the diligent citizens of St. Petersburg had long since left their jobs. 

For Yuuri, however, things were just getting started. 

His phone buzzed in his coat pocket. 

He reached inside and pulled it out. He used the pad on his finger tip to swipe over the screen and connected the call. 

“Hello?” Yuuri tucked the cold phone between his ear and shoulder, holding it in place as he adjusted the scarf a little tighter around his neck. 

“ _Yuuri! Where are you? I thought you were supposed to be back from Yakov’s by now with the remaining information! I’m **starving** ,_” Phichit whined into his ear. Yuuri rolled his eyes and moved towards the side of a nearby pastry shop and out of the way of main foot traffic. 

“I’m on my way now, and then we can decide where we want to go.” Yuuri chuckled at Phichit’s long drawn out sigh. 

“Keeping me on the phone means it takes longer for me to get back,” Yuuri pointed out. 

“Okay, okay. Be safe on your way back. Not that you really need _me_ of all people telling you to be careful.” Yuuri could almost hear the smile in his partner’s voice. It tugged something inside him and he smiled despite himself. 

“I think we both know the sentiment is still appreciated. I’ll be back soon,” Yuuri confirmed. 

“Bye,” Phichit called out before he disconnected the call. 

Yuuri pulled the cell phone from his ear.

He should have been paying attention. 

It really was all his fault. 

After he tucked his phone back into the safety of his pocket, Yuuri stepped away from the side of the building and out into the sidewalk traffic once more. He hadn’t seen the person in front of him. 

The impact was his first and only clue that anyone had been there at all. 

Stumbling back a few feet, Yuuri elbowed a young woman who cried out in surprise as she stumbled away. His arms wrapped around and caught the person who had barrelled into him. 

Yuuri would have tried to turn to apologize to the woman, but the person in his field of vision caught his attention. 

He felt his jaw go slack as he stared. 

His arms were around a young woman? 

No, a young man. 

The boy in his arms couldn’t have been over the age of sixteen. He had piercing bright blue eyes, pale skin that was almost translucent, and his silver hair was pulled back into a long ponytail that trailed down to the middle of his back. The boy’s hands rested on Yuuri’s hips to steady himself. 

Yuuri opened and closed his mouth a few times, heat splashing onto his features. It was almost enough to make him forget the chilled air around them. 

The young man stared up at him, eyes wide as he shoved away from Yuuri, cheeks instantly flushed. “I’m sorry. So sorry!” 

“You speak English.” Yuuri murmured. His brain almost hadn’t registered the language correctly. After all, it wasn’t like Yuuri talked to anyone outside the Bratva on a normal day. 

It wasn’t part of his job.

“Well, yes.” The young man squirmed awkwardly, eyes on the sidewalk between them. 

_He has long eyelashes_

“That’s great. Sorry for running into you.” Yuuri trailed off lamely, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I wasn’t paying attention either.” While the teenager spoke English very well, he still had a very thick accent. Had Yuuri not been fluent, he would have had a hard time understanding him. 

_His voice is very soft and you can tell he’s younger than he looks just by the pitch._

“I should be going,” the young man murmured softly as he stepped to the side and passed Yuuri, starting down the street towards wherever he was going. Yuuri sighed and brushed his coat off, frowning as he turned to watch the young man go. 

“Hey. Wait.” Yuuri reached out, fingers encircling the young man’s thin wrist. 

The silver haired teen flinched and looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face. “What do you need?” 

“Can I have my wallet back?” Yuuri asked, holding his other palm out. 

“Do I look like I have your wallet?” The young man tried to snap at him, however it came off less than sure and probably less venomous than he had initially intended. He tried to pull his wrist away from Yuuri, but he held firm. 

“I would hate to have to get the police involved. I know that the punishment for stealing here in Russia is still very steep.” Yuuri took a step out of the way of moving traffic and back towards the alley near where they had stopped. 

“You must really be in tune with yourself and your surroundings to realize I took it.” The teen muttered as he reached into his pocket and tugged out the bill fold. Handing it back to Yuuri, the older man leafed through it and looked to the young teen. 

For whatever reason he hadn’t run, hadn’t made a move to leave him even though he had been caught red-handed. 

“I was warned by a local that I might run into this, so I’ve been careful.” 

The young man sighed and placed his hands on his hips. “Must be a good person if he told you to look out for pickpockets.” 

“Well, to tell you the truth, I would have noticed. Also, there isn’t much in it.” Yuuri opened up the wallet and showed it to the young man. 

Peeking in the wallet, the young man sighed and peered up at Yuuri. “Huh. You’re right. Doesn’t look like there’s too much. No credit cards, just rubles.” 

“I don’t normally have too many expenses that I have to worry about. Also, I travel so much that I’ve learned not to carry my cards around. Sorry.” Yuuri looked at the contents in his wallet. 

“Why are you apologizing to me? I tried to pickpocket you.” The young man asked, scrunching up his nose as he stared hard at Yuuri. 

“Because even pickpocketing me wouldn’t have benefitted you,” Yuuri answered softly. 

The young man stared hard at him, snorted and shook his head. “You’re weird.” 

“You’re not the only one who has told me that.” Yuuri offered up with a shy smile. 

“Well, as fun as this has been, I need to go and see what I can do about food for dinner now that my seemingly easy mark has bested me.” The young man turned to leave, and Yuuri tugged all the rubles he had out of his wallet. 

“Don’t bother. Here.” Yuuri offered the money to the teen. 

“Are you serious?” The silver haired teen squinted at him and hesitantly reached out and took the money. 

“There isn’t much there. Probably enough to to buy a meal or two maybe?” Yuuri shrugged. 

“Maybe like two or three trips to McDonald’s,” the young man agreed with a tiny smile. 

“Well, that’s better than finding a less generous mark for your pickpocketing.” Yuuri tried to hide a smile. The young man was interesting, and it wasn’t like they would cross paths again. If a little help could make the kid smile, then Yuuri’s money was well spent. 

_What are you thinking? This isn’t like you at all._

He could hear Phichit’s voice in the back of his head. 

“Thank you,” the young man whispered before he finally stepped out of the mouth of the alley and into the crowds. Yuuri watched him go until he lost sight of the teen’s silver hair. 

Turning back on his own way, Yuuri shook his head trying to banish the sight of the flustered youth out of his mind. 

It was another fifteen minutes to the hotel, and before Yuuri could even pull out his keycard Phichit flung the door open. “Finally!” 

“Sorry,” Yuuri offered with a small shrug. 

“You better be. You weren’t that far! While you’ve been slacking, I’ve been working on the networks of all the sites Mari sent to us. She’s having me check the accounts and also check the records of the clinics that Mila recommended.” Phichit tugged his friend inside the room shutting the door behind him. 

Yuuri tugged his gloves off tossing them into the recliner on the other side of the suite. He carefully unwound the scarf from around his neck. Unbuttoning his coat, Yuuri tossed it along with the scarf over onto the chair. 

Phichit tsked and moved to hang the coat off the back of the chair, placing the scarf over it and tucking the leather gloves into one of Yuuri’s coat pockets. “Honestly, tossing things on a chair just makes more work and wrinkles the coat later.” 

“Thanks, mom,” Yuuri joked as Phichit turned with a grin, swatting his hip, as Yuuri passed him on his way to the bathroom. 

“When you come out of there, we are going to talk about dinner,” Phichit called after him. 

“Yeah, okay! I’m starting to get hungry too.” 

Yuuri emerged from the bathroom. He had taken the time to get into a pair of pajama bottoms and a large shirt that Phichit had set out for him. He had also changed from his contacts into his glasses as he settled on the bed with a slow sigh. 

“Before you decide to pass out and forgo dinner. Let’s just order out. There is a great place down the road that delivers. I ate there the other day when I left the room for some sunlight.” Phichit bounced on the bed next to him. 

Flopping onto his back onto the bed, Yuuri stared at the ceiling his brain dissecting his earlier encounter piece by piece. “Yeah. Sounds good. Can you lend me some rubles for my part?” 

“Sure, but didn’t you have your stipend for the day from Yakov?” Phichit raised both his eyebrows as he curled up on his side, poking gently at Yuuri’s stomach.

“Hey. Cut that out,” Yuuri grumbled, swatting his hand away. 

“Do I even _want _to know what you spent your allowance on?” Phichit raised both his eyebrows pointedly.__

__“I spent it on a smile,” Yuuri murmured quietly, covering his face with his arm as his friend gasped. He could see the look on Phichit’s face in his mind without even looking._ _

__“Yuuri! You have to tell me all about how you spent at least three meals worth of money on a _smile_. You never spend money, and now you’re throwing it away on a _smile_?” Phichit questioned as he sat up and grabbed his cell phone. _ _

__“Can we just talk about it later? I don’t feel like I’m ready to talk about it right now,” Yuuri murmured._ _

__“Sure, but you _will_ tell me later. It’s either that or you can explain it to Yakov tomorrow,” Yuuri groaned and rolled onto his side, covering his face with his hands. _ _

__“It wasn’t like me at all.” Yuuri whined._ _

__“I know. That’s why it’s so interesting.” Phichit hummed as he picked up the phone and punched in the number to the restaurant._ _

__“Maybe we need a longer vacation back in Hasetsu,” Phichit called out._ _

__Yuuri chewed on his bottom lip, raising his arm to peer at his friend as Phichit waited for the call to connect. “Maybe. I think a longer break would be good.”_ _


	2. Chapter 2

Yakov tapped his fingers on his desk as he stared at Yuuri and Phichit. “What have you been able to find thus far?” 

Phichit cleared his throat and approached the head of the Bratva, setting down a thick file. “Well, we can honestly say that all the facilities that Mila said were recommended to her are for the most part reputable. There are one or two we wouldn’t recommend just because the incidents reported on the doctors and staff are a little higher.” 

Yuuri opened his own file. “I took the liberty of visiting the top three yesterday evening to check the facilities and talk to the staff. I have ruled out choice three as being viable. If you’ll look at page ten on the report, you’ll see why.” 

Yakov turned his harsh gaze towards the documents, fingers brushing over the pictures and script on the page. “I see. So it has close ties to a different faction in Moscow?” 

“We checked over the documents and while we didn’t find any traces that something would be wrong if she were to choose it, we’d like to avoid the possibility that someone might harm her.” Yuuri agreed. 

“I see. So really, her choices have been narrowed from twenty clinics to two.” Yakov grumbled. 

“Yes, but I think that these two facilities are good for what we’ve been looking for. Mila will be able to fulfil her promise to Leo De Iglesia and Guang Hong Ji, and the Bratva will have closer ties than ever to the Triad in China and Mafia in America,” Yuuri continued. 

Yakov shut the folder and motioned to a sharply dressed man at the side of the room. His subordinate stepped forward and Yakov handed him the file. “Have Mila look at the information and let her know we will need her decision about which facility so we can continue moving forward.” 

“Yes sir.” The young man left. 

Yakov pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is shaving years off my life.” 

“You still have a long life ahead of you, Yakov,” Yuuri answered, trying to hide his amusement. 

Phichit yawned and rubbed at his eyes. “Would it be alright if I were to be excused for the rest of this meeting? I was up all night compiling the rest of the data for some other things you have me looking into.” 

Yakov waved his hand dismissively. “Yes, yes. Go on. Everyone knows that you need sleep to function. The rest of the data I’ve asked for, I expect to have by the end of the week.” 

“Eh? But that’s going to take - ” Yuuri held up his hand cutting off Phichit’s protest.

“We will have it to you sooner than that if you can promise Phichit can at least sleep the rest of the day. I’ll even lend a hand.” 

Yakov snorted and didn’t say anything further.

“I’ll see you at the hotel later, Yuuri.” Phichit called as he let himself be escorted out by the other subordinate that had been left in the room. 

Yakov motioned for Yuuri to sit down in the seat he had been standing behind while presenting.  
“Sit.” 

Yuuri slowly walked around the chair and sat down. Yakov sighed and leaned back into the cushion of his own chair. Silence filled the space between them both as they settled down. Yakov turned to the cabinet behind his desk. “You’ve gone above and beyond my expectations.” 

“That’s a big compliment coming from you.” Yuuri chuckled as the head of the Bratva set two shallow glasses on the desk in front of him. 

“It’s because of you and your family that things have stabilized so much in the past decade.” Yakov pulled out a bottle that had a familiar label on it. The gold, black, and red script made him hold his breath. Yakov pulled the top off and splashed two fingers worth of the amber liquid into the glasses before turning back to the desk and pushing one of the glasses towards Yuuri. 

He accepted and put the glass to his lips. 

“Your father gave this bottle to me about 5 years ago, and I’ve only opened it recently. For a test run of the spirit, it’s passable.” Yakov took a sip, eyes on Yuuri. 

Yuuri had never really liked the taste of sochu, but his father had been adamant about opening up another avenue of influence by way of alcohol. So far, Toshiya Katsuki had been successful with the endeavor. Much to the amusement of his sister and mother. 

“It is. He’s continuing to play around in the liquor business in his free time.” Yuuri took another sip. 

Yakov grunted and settled down to sip on the sochu as he stared at Yuuri pensively. It took everything he had not to squirm. Even though he had spent time at Yakov’s side each year for a set amount of time, that didn’t make the man any less brusque or imposing. 

“I will be in your debt once this is all through, and I doubt Mila will forget how thorough you were in making sure she is safe and comfortable through all this,” Yakov uttered as he turned to look out the large window behind his desk. 

Yuuri smiled ruefully. “I would hate for something to happen to her. She’s like a sister to me after all.” 

“I’m sure she would be happy to hear this.” Yakov sighed and stood up from his chair, taking a swallow from the glass in his hand. 

Yuuri finished his drink and sat the glass down on the desk. “I think everything will go smoothly. If it doesn’t, there are contingency plans in place. I promise you, I’ve known Leo and Guang Hong Ji just as long as I’ve known Mila. They’re good people.” 

Yakov shook his head. “Good isn’t a word you can use to describe people like us, Yuuri. You know that, and I’ve taught you better.” 

“I still think that there is good even in people like us.”

Yakov continued to pace the length of the room. 

Standing up, Yuuri turned to his mentor and nodded. “I should be going. Poor Phichit is taking his nap, so I guess I’ll grab us something on my way back for when he wakes up.” 

“Tell your little friend he can have today and this evening off, but I expect that information in four days.” Yakov tipped his chin up and turned his back to Yuuri as he paced. 

“We will have it to you in two.” Yuuri promised as he let himself out of Yakov’s study. 

\-----

Yuuri shut the door on his way out, leaning against its surface with a drawn out sigh. 

_Even if he’s someone I’ve worked with for years, Yakov is still intimidating._

He checked his watch and frowned. Phichit had left about forty-five minutes before the meeting finished and he needed some rest, especially if they were going to go forward with finalizing the other projects that Yakov had requested within two days. The Feltsman Bratva had grown closer to the Katsuki family more than any other crime family in their slowly strengthening alliance. 

“Yuuri!” His head shot up as an upbeat voice pulled him from his thoughts. He saw Mila sauntering down the hall, her bodyguards trailing behind her as she waved to grab his attention. Unlike her normal work clothes, today she was in a light pink dress that flowed around her that gave her a almost ethereal look. 

“Mila. It’s been a few days,” Yuuri greeted with a smile, pulling the arm of his suit back into place over his watch. 

“What are you doing standing in front of Yakov’s door like that?” Mila paused, a hand on her hip and a teasing smile on her face.

Yuuri shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “I just finished my meeting.” 

Tipping her head to the side, Mila giggled brushing some of her hair behind her ear. “Trying to regain your legs? I thought Yakov had a soft spot for you.” 

“That doesn’t mean that I can slack off,” Yuuri responded.

Yuuri moved away from the door. Mila wrapped her arms around one of his with a grin. “What are you doing right now?” 

“I was figuring out a way to give Phichit some time to sleep. He’s terrible when he’s tired.” Yuuri informed her. His fingers pressed the ones she placed on his arm.

Yuuri took his time to study Mila. 

The last time Yuuri had worked in Russia, her hair had been longer, and she had grown into her frame more. Since he and Phichit had arrived, he hadn’t been able to take the time to really talk to her with how busy Yakov had kept them. 

Mila rolled her eyes and playfully bumped his hip with her own. 

“Well, if you need something to do why don’t Georgi, you, and I go out for dinner? We can go to that small Italian place that Sara’s family opened here?” Mila suggested.

Yuuri let himself be tugged down the hall and situated in front of Georgi’s study. Dropping his arm, Mila turned and knocked on the door before sliding behind Yuuri, her hands on his back shoving him through the door. 

It was several seconds before the door opened. Georgi stood there, phone between his ear and shoulder, and his eyes narrowed on him. “Mila, what have I- _oh_. Yuuri.” 

Georgi held up a finger and spoke into the phone in rapid fire Russian, turning away from them. 

Yuuri winced. 

_That call sounded pretty important._

Mila leaned against Yuuri’s back and peeked over his shoulder with a smug smile. Yuuri shook his head and turned to look over his shoulder at Mila. “Really?” 

“He likes you as much as I do. If I was standing there alone, he would have yelled at me already.” Mila shrugged. 

“I still feel like yelling at you,” Georgi muttered as he hung up on his cell and tucked it into the back pocket of his pants. 

“You are too serious. And you work too much.” Yuuri and I were going to go for dinner and wanted to see if you wanted to join us?” 

Georgi pressed his lips together and stared between Yuuri and Mila for a moment. Rolling his eyes, he moved to grab his suit jacket from the chair behind his desk. “You’re in luck. I just finished with my last piece of work for the day.” 

Mila stepped from behind Yuuri clapping her hands together. “Wonderful! It will be like when we were younger. It’s been forever since we’ve all gone out together.” 

“Just dinner Mila,” Georgi warned. 

Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek as the redhead turned towards Georgi and poked a finger into his chest. “You need to relax. I know Yakov has you working and doing a few of his duties, but you won’t have to bear the responsibility of the Bratva alone when the time comes.” 

Georgi shook his head and motioned with his hand. “Okay, okay, lead the way to the car.” 

Dinner went by surprisingly quick in the company of Mila and Georgi. 

They had gone to enjoy Italian food together at Sara’s restaurant. It had been a while since Yuuri had seen her. It felt like every time he had come to Russia was the time that Sara and Michele returned to Italy to check in with their father. It came as no surprise that he missed them once again. 

“I’m glad to hear that Sara, Michele, and Emil will be back in time for the party.” Mila stretched her arms over her head and Georgi shoved his hands into his pants pockets. 

Yuuri hummed in agreement. “I know that Yakov has spared no expense on it since so many of the families in the alliance will be in attendance.” 

“Everyone except for your family,” Mila grumbled amicably as she fussed with his scarf, patting his chest when she was satisfied with it’s placement. 

“Mila, quit treating Yura like he’s a child. He’s older than both of us.” Georgi grumbled as he stared at the street, waiting on the car to take them back. 

Yuuri smiled, “I’m not very good at parties. There are normally too many people there, and at this point I just want to see my family and help out at the Onsen for a while.” 

“So you’ve told us.”

“I think it would be easier for me to walk home from here. Georgi? Can you let Yakov know that we will have the information for the security and staff detail done in two days like we agreed on?” Yuuri asked as he pulled out his cellphone and tapped out a message to Phichit for when he woke up. 

Georgi nodded. “Sure. Be safe on your way.” 

Mila smiled and waved before she turned on her heel, speeding to catch up with Georgi.


	3. Chapter 3

Yuuri found himself retracing his steps back the same way he had gone the day before. 

_It’s the familiarity of the path, definitely not the pickpocket._

Something warm settled in his gut when he thought back to the small smile on the young man’s face. It definitely wasn’t anything else. It wasn’t the way he had stuck around, or the pout on his lips, or even the press of fingers through the fabric of his jacket. 

No, definitely not. 

_He’s just a child. Someone who happened to be there. An uncommon meeting, that’s all it was._

Even for as much as he tried to convince himself, Yuuri looked up and his steps stuttered to a halt. 

No more than a few shops down was the person that he had been so convinced he would never see again. The young man sat on one of the brick window sills outside a bakery that had just closed up for the evening. Unlike the day before when they met, the weather was a little more brusque and he wore a baggy shirt and ripped jeans. His shirt appeared to be two sizes too big and hung off his right shoulder. 

He hadn’t noticed Yuuri yet, and before he could look away, the attempted theif turned and stared at him. 

There was a faint recognition as the young man narrowed his eyes and tipped his chin up in silent defiance. Yuuri held his breath and raised one of his gloved hands in greeting. 

He didn’t miss the way the youth’s hands gripped onto the brick ledge as he set his jaw. Instead Yuuri shook his head, dropping his hands and pushing them into the pockets of his suit. 

The scarf Mila had wound around his throat felt unusually warm as he watched the one person he hadn’t thought he’d ever see again not run off as he approached. 

The teen pursed his lips. “Decided to come back so I could try again?” 

“You look cold,” Yuuri murmured softly. 

Expressive blue eyes widened slightly as they stared back at Yuuri. The young man puffed out his cheeks which were red from the cold air around them. “I’m not cold. I’m Russian.” 

“Do you live close to here? I would think even a sensible Russian would put on a coat so they didn’t catch a cold,” Yuuri quipped back, fingers flexing in his pockets as he rocked up onto the tips of his toes. 

_The wind definitely bites harder here than in Detroit._

The young silver-haired man pressed his pointer finger to his lips. “I don’t share my accommodation with nicely dressed strangers. Unless -” 

“Unless?” Yuuri pressed. 

“Unless you paid me a hefty price, and we agreed on the activities beforehand.” The teen smirked and Yuuri felt his face heat up almost instantly to the insinuation.

“Excuse me?!” Yuuri blinked and stared stupidly at the teenager. 

_I couldn’t have heard that right._

“You heard me,” the teenager muttered with a soft huff, his arms wrapping around his own body to preserve his own heat. 

Yuuri narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Without really allowing himself to think, Yuuri reached down grabbing one of the thin wrists between his fingers tugging the other from where he sat. 

“Woah! Hey, wait!” 

“I’ll buy your time with a meal. Is that okay? You’re hungry, right? It’s better than sitting in the cold dressed like that.” Yuuri explained as he tugged the youth beside him. 

“You’re really weird. You know that? You are the weirdest -” The young man had started to lecture him as Yuuri looked at the faces of the shop. 

One stuck out with a small neon sign in the window, the lights inside casting a warm light on the street. “Here.” 

Yuuri reached out pulling the door open. Two people behind the counter looked up at him as he and the young man walked inside. The door shut behind them sealing the cold out and flooding warmth into Yuuri. His lips pulled into a smile as the elder woman behind the counter narrowed her eyes upon them. 

She huffed and motioned to Yuuri and growled at the long haired teen.

The young man held up his hands and motioned to Yuuri speaking calmly and quietly, a small deprecating smile on his lips.

The woman squinted and stared at Yuuri, and then back towards Victor, visibly relaxing. Yuuri turned towards his unwilling companion. Unphased by the heated glares the older woman had given him, Yuuri smiled hesitantly. “Pick where you want to sit.” 

The young man picked the table furthest away from the door and closest to the heater. 

_I knew it. He was cold._

The older woman brought over a menu and handed it to his companion patting him on the arm sympathetically before going back behind the counter to stare at the patrons in her restaurant. Her eyes kept coming back to them, pausing ever so often on Yuuri to squint and try and stare him down. 

Yuuri hid a small smile as he pulled off his gloves and tucked them into his pocket. “This is much better than being outside. You can pick whatever you want.” 

Those electric blue eyes stared back at him over the menu. “Anything?” 

Yuuri nodded. “Anything.” 

Sighing, the young man sagged in his chair as Yuuri pulled out his cellphone and checked his messages. He had received a sleepy request for sustenance from Phichit and a few other texts in a group text from Mila and Georgi. 

“I think I’ll order just some soup and bread.”

Yuuri nodded and watched as the young man stood up to return the menu and put in his order. Yuuri watched him as he talked to the woman and laughed as she threw a particularly nasty glare at Yuuri. But, when the youth shook his head and made the universal crazy symbol, the woman shook her head and reached out patting him on the shoulder again. 

“She doesn’t seem to like me very much.” Yuuri chuckled as he watched the older woman move back into the kitchen. 

“She doesn’t like foreigners at all, especially anyone that talks with me. However, I told her you were a bit...” 

“Crazy. I know. I saw the gesture.” Yuuri sighed and unwound his scarf from around his neck.

“Yeah. You come off a little weird. Probably the culture difference though,” the silver-hair teen soothed. 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “Even in my culture, this would be considered weird.” 

Yuuri could still feel the press of the thin wrist through his gloves. He watched the youth look around the restaurant for a few moments before his eyes fell back to his cell phone. Even in his small dinner with Mila and Georgi, and now this detour, there were already several emails beginning to pile up in his inbox. 

There were also several texts from his sister reminding him they did have a meeting coming up, and several different schedule changes from Yakov’s secretary had been sent to him to look at. 

It made him feel tired. 

Before the weariness could settle too far into his bones, the old woman came out with two bowls of soup, and placed one in front of him and then another in front of the teen. She then put a basket of bread between them before wandering back towards her small chair. Yuuri blinked and stared down at the soup, and then looked back up at the young man in front of him. 

“It would have been awkward to sit here and eat by myself.” Was the only answer he received before the young man picked up his spoon in one hand and grabbed a piece of steaming fresh bread in the other. 

Since he had eaten earlier with Mila and Georgi, once the teenager was done with one bowl, Yuuri nudged his bowl to the young man. “Eat.” 

The young boy blinked and stared at the soup and then back at Yuuri. 

“Go ahead. I’m not hungry.” Yuuri urged. Without further prompting the teenager took his bowl and dug in. He didn’t stop eating until he had finished off the second bowl and most of the bread. 

The teenager across from him smiled, patting his stomach. “The soup here is always good.” 

“Definitely. I’ll have to get some to go for my friend.”

 

The restaurant had the kind of cozy warmth that tended to make Yuuri drowsy after a meal. This was the most relaxed he had found himself in days.

Determined not to make the woman glare at him for falling asleep at the table, Yuuri tapped at the screen of his phone and opened the first of several emails.

_\---- Mr. Katsuki,_

_Mr. Lee has requested your contract be looked at and extended from three to six months after your time off. Please look at the documents and confer with Mari Katsuki to see if the time would be appropriate for the amount of work this will entail._

_Regards,_

_\- Mr. Kim ___

__  
__  


__Yuuri tapped the forward button and copied both his sister and Phichit on the e-mail. He received receipts from both and he tapped the next email. It was easier and more condensed report of his own finances._ _

__He continued to work as he waited for the youth to finish his dinner._ _

__The next one was a verbal dispute that had happened in Moscow that someone had reported between the Feltsman Bratva and one of the smaller families. He had been asked to come to Moscow on the weekend to work through a solution to the constant building tension in the area._ _

__Yuuri sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose._ _

___No matter how much we do, we still can’t help make much of a difference, can we?_ _ _

__Another email forward._ _

__Lather. Rinse. Repeat._ _

__“What’s in it for you?” the soft voice asked. Yuuri blinked and looked up from where he was hunched over the table tapping emails out furiously on his phone. The young man sat with an empty bowl in front of him and a piece of bread between his hands. He studied Yuuri from across the table before looking down at the food he held._ _

__“Excuse me?” Yuuri blinked, cheeks flushed as he sat back up._ _

__“You’re obviously someone who has a bit of money, who works hard. You’re weird, but you’ve never asked for me to give you anything in return,” The young man rasped his voice barely above a whisper._ _

__Yuuri’s brain stopped as he looked down at the half finished email draft. He looked back at the teenager and smiled ruefully. “I don’t need anything in return. You just look like you could use some kindness.”_ _

__“But there has to be something you want from me,” the silver-haired Russian insisted._ _

__“There’s really not.” Yuuri waved him off, tapping his emails closed._ _

__The rest of work could wait._ _

__“There is,” The young man pressed._ _

__“No, really. There isn’t. If I did, I promise I would be honest with you.” Yuuri sighed rubbing his temples. He could feel a headache coming on and fatigue from over extending himself socially throughout the day threatening to come down on his head._ _

__Now he had someone arguing that his motives were more than they actually were._ _

__“You really _are_ weird. But, if you say so.” The young man slumped back into the chair, his fingers tearing smaller pieces of bread off as he nibbled them from atop his thumb. He kept his eyes trained on Yuuri. _ _

__“I think you’re the only one that’s called me weird. Well, besides my best friend Phichit.” Yuuri chuckled and rolled his shoulders back, tension melting slightly._ _

__The old woman stomped to their table and placed down two plates with one pastry each. Yuuri blinked and looked after her as she woman motioned to them and then to the pastries before disappearing once more._ _

__The youth blinked, a small gentle smile on his lips as he clapped his hands together. “She must like you more than she admits or she wouldn’t have brought us these.”_ _

__Yuuri looked down at the pastry with a lighter center._ _

__“It’s a vatrushka. They are really popular with locals and are extremely traditional, very Russian. Try it. You’ll see.” The young man motioned to the pastry as he took up his own and took a bite._ _

__Yuuri watched as he took one bite and then another, his face lighting up with euphoria._ _

__Yuuri looked at his own pastry and picked it up taking a small bite. Before he knew it, the whole thing was gone in record time. The teenager chuckled and wiggled in his chair as he popped the last piece of his own into his mouth._ _

__“Vkusno!”_ _

__Once they had finished, Yuuri was hesitant to leave as he noticed the young man’s eyes darting to the door, his lips pursing each time. It was cold, and this bit of warmth was probably fleeting._ _

__Yuuri felt for him._ _

__He wanted to do something to help._ _

__Finally, the teen stood up with a sigh. “As much as I’d like to keep sitting here, I need to go.”_ _

__Tossing his hair behind his shoulder, the silver-haired youth turned and tapped his finger to his lips thoughtfully as he narrowed his eyes on Yuuri. “Are you going to make a habit of coming this way in the evening?”_ _

__Yuuri held his breath._ _

___Did that mean that he came around here often?_ _ _

__“I could,” Yuuri murmured shyly, his eyes pulling away from the other’s face._ _

__“If you do, don’t be a stranger,” the young man murmured, Yuuri’s eyes darted back up and he noticed the small flush on his cheeks. Yuuri felt something slowly wrap around his heart._ _

___I want to help this boy._ _ _

__The old woman moved back towards their table with a large sack of something and handed it to the youth before she pinched his cheek and muttered something to him. The young man smiled at her and nodded turning towards the door._ _

__Before the teen can leave, Yuuri stood up and quietly approached the teen. “Here. I don’t have too far to go tonight. Stay warm.”_ _

__“No I can’t. It-”_ _

__“It’s fine. I can buy another scarf.” Yuuri cuts off the protest from the young man as he took the long scarf and wound it carefully around his neck._ _

__The young man buried his nose into the thick scarf. “Thanks.”_ _

__“All I ask in return is your name,” Yuuri whispers almost breathless._ _

__The young man blinks and reaches up to pull the scarf down from around his lips which quirk into a small grin. “Victor.”_ _

__Yuuri nodded. “Good night, Victor.”_ _

__Without any further pause, Victor pulled the scarf up around his face again and vanished into the night. Yuuri watched him go before he turned his back to the door and approached the counter to order Phichit some food._ _

__The entire way home was a little colder, but Yuuri’s heart felt full._ _

___I need to help him. I want to help him._ _ _

__Yuuri forced himself not to think back to Victor as he moved down the street. He couldn’t do much now but surely with his resources?_ _

__Shaking his head Yuuri chewed on his bottom lip and passed the lobby automatic doors and moved inside as he stood in front of the elevator, belatedly punching the up button. The doors slid open with a hiss and a ding, and Yuuri stepped inside turning to watch as the lobby disappeared._ _

__The ride up to the hotel room was quiet as Yuuri tried to make himself feel a little more in the present and not with whatever plans his brain was trying to come up with._ _

__The elevator stopped on his floor and the doors opened. He followed the plush carpet allowing the patterns on it to soothe and distract his thoughts as he pulled out his hotel key card and swiped it._ _

__His cold fingers wrapped around the brass knob as he turned it and entered inside._ _

__Phichit groaned and sat up from where he was on his back on his own bed. “ _Yuuri_ , I’m starving!” _ _

__Yuuri held up the large bag he brought back._ _

__The old woman had all but ignored him as he had asked in broken Russian to have the same thing to take home. She probably thought he was taking it for himself to eat even more after he had dismissed the boy. Yuuri winced at the thought._ _

___Great._ _ _

__Taking off his suit jacket, Yuuri draped it over the work chair he would soon be occupying for the rest of the night. Quietly, he tugged the tie loose from around his neck and moved to drop it into the laundry bag they had set up. The housekeepers would probably be in to grab them within the next couple of days as usual._ _

__But somehow things felt new around him, and it was all due to meeting Victor and having such an odd connection with him._ _

__“Yuuri. Where’s your scarf? You didn’t lose it did you?” Phichit called, a piece of bread stuck into his mouth as he opened the container with the soup, stirring the warm contents as he chewed on the bread thoughtfully._ _

__“Yeah, something like that,” Yuuri chuckled as he turned on the light in the bathroom._ _

__“Something like that? What is that supposed to mean?” Phichit called after him as Yuuri unbuttoned his shirt and clicked the bathroom door shut._ _


	4. Chapter 4

Taking his time to undress, Yuuri sighed as he leaned his hip against the bathroom counter and tossed his shirt near the door, hands dropping to his belt as he quietly unbuckled and tugged it out of the pants. 

He ran through the motions of getting undressed as his brain continued to mull over the information he had which was admittedly _very_ little. 

Victor was young. He looked like he didn’t have proper guidance or parents with the way he spoke to older people and the way he dressed. He couldn’t have very much money if he was willing to pickpocket to make sure that he had food. 

But whatever he had endured, Victor was still polite to others around him, or else the woman wouldn’t have given him extra food to take with him. 

Yuuri turned the water on and adjusted the temperature. Soon the room around him filled with steam from the warmth of the water. Yuuri unbuttoned and unzipped his pants pushing them down his hips along with his boxers. 

Tossing his pants over where his shorts were, Yuuri sighed and turned to take out his contacts. He made sure to place his glasses close to the fluffy towel that Phichit had made sure was ready for him. 

_I need to figure out what I can do to help him. But I need to know more._

Stepping into the water, Yuuri’s body relaxed. He sighed and carded his hands through his hair as the warm water ran down his body and down the drain, taking with it the day and its frustrations. His hands wandered down his body as he soaped up and rinsed off. 

Would his help even be welcome? 

_I’m not so sure._

Victor had been very much ready to bluff to brush off unwanted attention. This had started when he had asked about the way the other was dressed. His comment about not being cold because he was Russian had thrown Yuuri off, but the reluctance later to leave the warmth of the restaurant hadn’t gone unnoticed by Yuuri.

“I want to help him. I wonder if he will let me?” Yuuri whispered, pressing his hands against the cool tiles, lowering his head under the warm spray of water, and washing the shampoo and left over hair product out of his hair. 

He stood like that for several seconds before he finally forced himself to turn off the water and grab a towel to dry off. 

_How much care does he need to keep his hair like that?_

Yuuri’s own hair was short and took relatively no maintenance unless he was using hair gel to slick it back for his meetings and to go outside. Otherwise, it virtually took nothing to keep it healthy, but Victor’s hair was **extremely** long and looked very well kept. 

“It’s none of my business.” Yuuri slid on his glasses and finished toweling off. 

Pulling on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, Yuuri picked up his clothing and opened the door. Tossing the garments in the laundry bag, he moved to sit down at his desk next to Phichit’s as he sighed. 

“We wouldn’t have to work tonight if someone hadn’t told Yakov we would have the documents in two days. _Two days_ ,” Phichit grumbled with no real vehemence to his words as his fingers clicked over the keys of his laptop. 

Yuuri sighed and pulled up his emails starting with the draft he had been working on in the restaurant. “I let you sleep all day and kept myself occupied.” 

Phichit turned and grinned. “A fact I love you for and also for bringing me that kick ass dinner.” 

Before Yuuri could react, Phichit reached out and turned his face to the side, pressing his lips against Yuuri’s with a wet smack, giving his best friend a wink when he pulled back. 

“ _Phichit!_ Yuuri whined as his cheeks heated up. 

“ _Yuuuuuri!_ ” Phichit mimed as he turned back to his work with a grin. Yuuri sighed and rolled his eyes as he started to work on the slowly filling inbox. 

Pausing mid keystroke, Yuuri blinked. 

_You have the resources to help him. They might not be the most innocent resources, but they work the same way._

Turning to look over towards his best friend, Phichit paused and raised both his eyebrows. “What’s up? Thinking of ravishing me? We can’t do that until this deadline passes.” 

Yuuri rolled his eyes and shook his head. “We can’t do anything like that while we’re working. If we started, we might not stop for a bit.” 

Phichit smiled. “It _does_ feel good. Especially when you get into it too.” 

“Okay. We’re getting off topic here.” Yuuri cleared his throat and turned back to the email he was working on. 

“What topic were we even on in the first place?” Phichit asked as his fingers continued their measured quick strokes on the keyboard. 

“How good are your hacking skills? Do you think you could look into the police database without being found or alerting Yakov that we might need his help?” Yuuri asked seriously as he took in a deep breath. 

Phichit choked and looked at him, eyes wide. “Why would you need to do something like that?”

“Because I have someone that I want to look into.” Yuuri shrugged and kept his eyes trained carefully on his laptop. 

“You’ve never asked for something like this. Why are you starting now?” Phichit turned to face his best friend. 

“I want to help this person, but I can’t help them if I don’t know what I’m working with.” Yuuri leaned back into his chair with a grimace. Maybe they could look into getting better work chairs for the desks. 

He made a mental note to look into it as a gift and surprise for Phichit and himself. 

“Okay. I’ll do it.” Phichit sighed as he settled back into his chair, stretching his arms over his head. 

Yuuri smiled. “Thanks.” 

“I need a name. A full name though, and I want to know exactly why you want this once I have the file. It’ll take a few days if I’m careful. I could do it in minutes, but not without Yakov or the police breathing down our necks.” Phichit elaborated. Yuuri looked at his friend and nodded as he pressed a hand over his face. 

_What am I doing? **What am I doing?**_

“Yuuri, are you okay?” Phichit whispered reaching out to touch him on the shoulder.

Yuuri jumped and looked over his fingers to Phichit. “I might be a little tired. That’s all.” 

Sitting back up, Yuuri turned his attention back to his screen. Phichit studied his friend for a few more moments before going back to his own work. Without the heavy gaze of his best friend, Yuuri was able to focus on his emails, trying to keep his brain from doubling back onto Victor. 

Seconds bled into minutes.

Minutes into hours. 

Before Yuuri knew it, his alarm to wake up to check emails had gone off. His inbox was still blissfully clean. Phichit’s eyes focused on his screen as he poked at keys instead of actually typing. 

“We should take a break.” 

“You take a break. I’m going to keep going,” Phichit muttered to no one in particular. Yuuri shook his head and then stood up. All the joints in his arms and legs and his back cracked and popped in protest. 

“How about breakfast, and then we finish up and get some sleep?” Yuuri suggested. 

Phichit turned and looked at him blinking owlishly. “Pancakes. Lots of syrup. I mean _lots of it._ Also, two or three cups of coffee.” 

Yuuri gave the other a salute and picked up the phone to order room service. 

The food was delivered not soon after. The bellhop nervously wheeled the cart in and skipped out before Yuuri could tip him. Phichit smiled and shook his head. “I guess that’s what happens when you are an associate staying under the name of Yakov Feltsman.” 

“Well, Yakov isn’t that scary.” Yuuri defended meekly. 

“That’s because he likes us. Can you imagine him with people he doesn’t like?” Phichit grabbed his plate of pancakes and retreated from the desk to sit down on his bed cross-legged to eat. 

Yuuri looked at his own breakfast of oatmeal and orange juice with a sigh. 

Phichit shrugged and cut into one of the fluffy pancakes. “You’re not missing anything. These pancakes taste _horrible_.” 

“Yeah, you can’t say that when you’re almost moaning around every fork full,” Yuuri muttered as he quietly stirred his oatmeal and added some brown sugar to it. Phichit smiled apologetically and kept eating. 

They ate in companionable silence. 

The rest of the day flew by. Three cups of coffee each and a whole lot of typing, and then they were finally done. The tight deadline of two days had turned into a miraculous day and a half. 

“You know I’d be lost without you.” Yuuri checked over the documents, his eyes tired and print swimming on the page. 

Phichit grunted and opened his eyes as he stared at the other over his arm. “We will have worse deadlines now. Can’t we just hold on until the last moment to send those?” 

Yuuri smiled at his friend. “Too late. I already hit send.” 

Phichit stood up from his chair and sighed. “I guess I’ll get some rest and tomorrow morning we’ll go to Yakov’s and see what we can do there too.” 

Yuuri hummed and rubbed at his eyes. “Sure, sounds good.” 

Stumbling to his bed, Yuuri flopped down onto the smooth cold comforter and was out before Phichit had even stumbled to his own bed. The embrace of sleep curled around him and kept him happily unconscious. 

\----

It was seven o’clock before Yuuri felt his consciousness return. 

His head pounded and eyes felt heavy, as he let his body wake up slowly. His stomach gurgled in protest and his mouth tasted of stale coffee, making him frown. 

_Gross._

Slowly, Yuuri eased on eye open. 

Then the other. 

Shadows danced across the walls, and it looked completely dark outside. Pushing himself up, Yuuri brushed a hand through his bed head and winced as he squirmed to the edge of the mattress. Phichit had fallen into his own pillows face first and showed no signs of waking up. 

_Of course._

Yuuri winced as his stomach gurgled in protest. They both needed to eat. The last time they had eaten was when they had breakfast. Grumbling under his breath, Yuuri shuffled into the bathroom and dressed himself in his casual clothes. There was no reason to get dressed up for work if they were done for the day. Grabbing a hoodie and a beanie, Yuuri tugged both on with a sigh and approached Phichit’s bed. 

“Phichit.” He gently tapped his shoulder. His friend didn’t stir. 

“Hey Phichit?” Yuuri blinked and knelt by his bed. One gray eye blinked warily and stared at him. 

“Are you going to be hungry in a bit?” Yuuri tried again. 

Phichit grimaced and grabbed a pillow pulling it over his head with a soft growl. Yuuri stood up and rolled his eyes. “Fine I’m getting you what I get, and I don’t want to hear complaining later.” 

Phichit tossed the pillow at the back of Yuuri’s head. Picking it back up off the ground, Yuuri tossed it over into the bathroom earning a whine from the other as he quickly left the room before he could retaliate. 

He had just managed to shut the door when the tell tale whomp of a pillow hitting it made him grin. 

“You’ll have to do better than that!” Yuuri called through the wood of the door before he turned down the hall and sluggishly made his way to the elevator and out into the cold evening air. 

The streets were still crowded for the time of evening, and it didn’t hurt that it was a Thursday night. Younger people tended to hang around and go places on Thursdays with the promise of the weekend coming the day after. Yuuri slipped between people and moved down the familiar street. 

They had been there for weeks, and Yuuri was just now getting accustomed to their surrounding area. 

_All thanks to Victor._

His brain helpfully supplied the thought, but Yuuri shook his head and tried to banish it before the thought took root. The teenager had caught his attention, but it wasn’t like there was something else there. 

Was there? 

No. 

“You’re twenty-three. That’s way older than him, and that’s gross.” Yuuri clipped at himself as he shook his head. 

No, Victor was young and needed help. 

This wouldn’t end like he saw so many other men around him do when they found something young and pretty to strike their fancy. He wasn’t like that. He couldn’t afford to be like that. Most people in the alliance found taking young boys and girls and using them or keeping them as pets distasteful. His own stomach churned as he thought of the words that had fallen so easily out of Victor’s lips. 

Setting his jaw, Yuuri let his feet lead him down the familiar pathway towards the small restaurant. 

_Their food was great. I’m sure that they have even more things we could try. Phichit is going to have to deal with it since he wouldn’t get himself up._

Yuuri paused as the street lamps turned on, and he looked up at the night sky. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and the wind blew past him almost without letting up between gusts. 

“Might snow in the next couple days,” Yuuri murmured, tucking his hands into his hoodie pouch. 

Continuing his careful steps, he turned to the right and headed down the street towards the small restaurant and bakery. The shop was lit up pleasantly like the last time he had come here with Victor. 

As if thinking about the teenager had summoned him, Victor stood next to the bakery door. 

Yuuri held his breath as he noticed the other, eyes widening slightly. Unlike the day before Victor had dressed even less warm that day. He wore his hair up in his characteristic ponytail, but it was almost as if he was dressed for summer. He wore boots, a pair of black thigh highs, shorts, and another loose t-shirt. 

The only thing he had on him that showed he was trying to ward off the cold was the scarf that Yuuri had wound around his neck the day before. 

“Victor?” Yuuri called out softly as not to alarm the young man. 

Victor’s head shot up and he smiled. “Yuuri. Hello! I didn’t think you would be coming today.” 

“I almost didn’t. I pulled an all nighter and just came to get my friend and I some dinner.” Yuuri studied Victor as he turned towards him. Relief flashed through him, but it was short lived when he got a good look at Victor’s face. 

On the right side of his face was mottled black and blue with a bruise and slightly swollen. There was also a small oozing cut, most likely from a ring. 

Yuuri felt his stomach drop to his feet and his breath still. 

Victor must have noticed the look on his face as he reached up and touched his jaw with a wince. “Yeah, it’s not very pretty is it? I’ve been scaring away potential customers.” 

Yuuri let out a breath and stepped forward, cupping Victor’s jaw in his hands studying it. He pressed the pad of his thumb to it and Victor hissed and jerked up from him, but not away. 

“Stay still.” Yuuri narrowed his eyes on it and looked around and then back to Victor. 

“Who did this to you?” Yuuri demanded, voice soft. 

“Some guys earlier. They got too handsy and when I tried to refuse, they left me a parting gift.” Victor chuckled and gently reached up pulling Yuuri’s hands from his face. 

“Yuuri. I’m fine. Really.” Victor tried to soothe. 

Victor may have been fine, but Yuuri was anything but fine. 

In fact, his anger spiked and he had to tamp down on it. That type of anger wasn’t good for himself or for anyone that knew him. He couldn’t allow it to take a hold of him, so he took a deep breath and tipped his head to the side. “Let’s go in. I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet, right?” 

Victor brushed a shaky hand over his eyes and nodded, his lower lip trembling. 

“Victor?” Yuuri asked softly. 

“I’m fine,” Victor whispered even though his body started to tremble like a leaf.


	5. Chapter 5

It was not fine. 

Yuuri had ushered Victor in, and immediately the old woman had screeched at them both and made them sit at the far table from the door. Victor tried to silence the old lady, but she growled and gestured at Yuuri and then back at Victor. 

_You’d think after living here for a while each year I would have picked up enough Russian to at least know what they were saying._

Of course, Yuuri could understand elementary Russian. He could pick words out in slow conversations, but the conversations Victor always had with the owner of the bakery were never slow and contained a lot of anger and screeching on the old woman’s part. 

If she hadn’t have made a scene, Yuuri might have in her place. 

Most of the patrons had finished up quickly and left the restaurant without a backward glance. No one wanted to court trouble here when the trouble was so closely related to the Bratva or a group that had aspirations of following in their footsteps. 

Victor sat down with a shaky sigh and turned towards Yuuri. “You’re upset.” 

“I’m not upset,” Yuuri spoke in measured breaths. 

“You are,” Victor pressed. 

“I’m not.” Yuuri pulled off his beanie and pushed his hair back .

Victor blinked and studied him hard for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve seen you wear your hair like that or even seen you in glasses before.” 

“Do I look different?” Yuuri shrugged and placed the beanie on the back of the chair he sat in. 

“You look younger. Less like a businessman.” 

Even though Victor’s tone sounded okay, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes watery. Before he knew what he was doing, Yuuri shifted to the seat nearest Victor and leaned forward fingers brushing his cheek. “Does it hurt?” 

Victor sucked in a breath and shoved Yuuri’s hand away. “ _Don’t_.” 

Yuuri flinched and pulled back. “Sorry.” 

Victor turned and shoved Yuuri’s other arm off its perch on the table. Yuuri winced. “Victor?” 

“I just don’t get it.” Victor didn’t pull his eyes from the tabletop in front of him. 

“What do you mean?” Yuuri asked quietly. 

“Why are you so nice to me? Why do you go out of your way to do things for me even when you say you don’t want anything from me?” Victor buried his nose into the scarf still wound around his neck and shoulders. 

Yuuri wanted to reach out, to reassure him, to do _something_ , but no gesture or words would be able to break through the wall around Victor for now. 

“Everyone always wants something from me,” Victor whispered, shoulders slumped. 

“Not me.” 

The old woman stomped over and slapped down a few bandages and a medical kit. She glared at Yuuri tipping her head towards Victor before marching away. Yuuri sighed and shifted his chair back over. “I’m going to clean you up and put one of these on you, okay?”  
Victor’s nod is so small that Yuuri almost missed it. 

“Let’s see.” Yuuri opened the kit placed there on the table by the old woman. She headed back into the kitchen, and the other remaining patrons kept their eyes averted.

Yuuri picked up a small antiseptic wipe, tearing open the packaging. “It’s going to sting.” 

“I’m not a kid,” Victor groused as Yuuri touched his cheek with the small square. The teen hissed but made no move to lean away. He sat silently as Yuuri leaned forward into his space, gently dabbing the cut. 

“Are you almost done?” Victor whispered. 

“Almost.”

Picking up the large bandage, Yuuri stared at the stark white of the packaging. At least with this on, Victor wouldn’t have to look at the mottled bruising until the bandage needed to be changed out. 

“Yuuri?” Victor prodded gently. 

“Oh, sorry.” Yuuri apologized. He reached up and placed the bandage over the the cut and bruised skin. 

“Hold it.” Yuuri directed. Victor pressed his fingers to the edge of the bandage, just enough to keep it in place. 

“There. All set.” Yuuri leaned back and studied his handy work for a second before he picked up the trash and deposited it all into the small waste bin near the counter. He packed up the rest of the kit and placed it on the counter within easy reach for the owner of the restaurant. 

Settling back into his chair, Victor still didn’t meet his eyes. 

The old woman came out and placed food in front of him, a hearty, thick brown-looking soup that had meat in it. She brought out her bread and a cup of coffee for Yuuri. He nodded towards her, but she ignored him as she hobbled back into the kitchen once more. 

“After tonight, please don’t be so nice to me.” Victor ordered between slow, careful bites of his soup. 

“Why?” Yuuri asked. 

“I’m not your responsibility. Please don’t give me the impression that you give a shit about me. You’re just doing what you can, but in reality you’ll leave.” Victors lips trembled, and his eyes sparkled with unshed tears. 

Yuuri pressed his lips together and watched over Victor as he ate. 

The youth took less time eating than he had the day before. Victor stared at Yuuri as he tried to force a smile on his face. “Thanks for the meal again. I feel tons better after eating.” 

Yuuri nodded, his throat closing as he watched Victor stand up and the old woman came out with more food for him from the kitchens. Yuuri stood up and approached Victor. 

“What if you were my responsibility?”

Victor narrowed his eyes and set his jaw. “What do you mean?” 

“If I wanted to help you out more, would you rely on me then?” Yuuri pressed. 

Victor blinked and tipped his head to the side. “Of course, but we both know what you’re saying is a lie.” 

“Why does it have to be a lie?” Yuuri bit back. 

Victor took a step back. “Because there is no way someone would do something like that for free.” 

_Try me._

Yuuri sighed and pulled off his hoodie. “Victor, give me your food.” 

“Why?” 

“Give me the food.” Yuuri wouldn’t let him argue. Victor opened his mouth, closed it, and turned to eye the door. Yuuri waited patiently. 

_Some people just don’t want help._

Victor held out the carefully put together parcel, and Yuuri shoved his hoodie into his arms. “Put that on.” 

Victor held the bulky hoodie in his hands, his mouth opening and closing. “Yuuri…” 

“Do it. It’s cold and it might snow. Since I can’t do anything for you right this moment, this is what I will do for now.” Yuuri insisted as he held the food, staring down the youth. 

Victor wrinkled his nose, looked down at the navy blue fabric and shook his head. Just when Yuuri thought he would have the hoodie tossed back in his face, the teenager pulled it on. It may have been a size too big, but it was better than nothing. 

“There. That’s better.” Yuuri sighed as he handed the food back to Victor. 

“You’re still weird. I don’t understand you at all,” Victor complained as he held the food with both hands and turned away from him. 

_Just stay safe. You’re almost there._

He was going to figure this out. There was no way after seeing Victor in that state that he would let the other go on without some form of help. 

“What do you want this time? A kiss?” Victor turned to look over his shoulder at the older man. 

Yuuri remembered that Phichit had given him a very specific instruction. 

_I need a full name._

“I just want your whole name.” Yuuri requested, hands balled into fists at his sides. Victor opened his mouth again and frowned. His brows knit, and he shook his head slowly. Yuuri’s heart threatened to stop. 

“Why would you need it?” 

“Give me your name.” Yuuri demanded. 

Turning back away from Yuuri, Victor pushed open the door and muttered. “You are _insane_.” 

“Victor, _please_...” Yuuri tried one last time. 

Victor stepped out of the door and called out, “Nikiforov. This was the only thing I was given. I’m not sure what you’re looking for Yuuri, but I hope that gives you the answer you need.” 

With that, the young man swept out of the diner and once more away from Yuuri’s sight. 

_Victor Nikiforov. Please stay safe out there._

It didn’t take long for the old owner to have his food ready to go. She eyed him with distaste as he gave her a careful smile in return. She may not like him, but his money spent like everyone else’s he guessed. 

It was a much shorter trip back to the hotel because Yuuri felt even more tired than when he had left. All he wanted to do was get to Phichit, give him a name and get to bed for proper rest. The snow started as soon as he reached the hotel doors. 

Pausing to look up at the sky, Yuuri frowned. 

_Take care of yourself, Victor._

\-----

“Yuuri. We need to have a talk.” Phichit took his food and sat down on the bed facing Yuuri’s. 

Yuuri sat on his own bed facing towards Phichit. 

“What is there to talk about?” Yuuri dipped his plastic spoon into the medium cup of soup. 

Phichit rolled his eyes and chewed thoughtfully on a piece of potato. “I’m worried you’re going to come back from being outside wearing absolutely nothing at all.” 

Yuuri stopped mid-bite to stare at his best friend. “Excuse me?” 

“You’ve become so shaken up that you have given money to a stranger for a smile.” 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Yuuri defended himself stabbing his spoon into the cup, eyes on the gravy-like soup. 

“That’s when you started coming home with things _missing_ ,” Phichit cried out, waving his spoon above his head in the air. 

“It’s only been a scarf,” Yuuri mumbled. 

“And a hoodie. A hoodie you were _very_ fond of. You wouldn’t even let me borrow that hoodie,” Phichit reminded him after another bite. 

Yuuri sighed and hung his head. “Phichit, I-” 

“If this is becoming a real problem we might have to talk to Yakov. Have you been hustled by someone? I would hope if something like that was happening you would tell me. That’s why I’m here, Yuuri!” Phichit whined as he took a few more bites. 

Yuuri sat his soup down on the bedside table. “Phichit, it’s not like that. Victor, he-” 

“Yuuri. Has this all been one person doing this to you?” Phichit pressed his free hand over his lips in a mock gasp. 

“I gave them all to him by choice.” Yuuri felt his face heat up. 

Phichit nearly choked on his next bite of soup. “What?!” 

“Victor is a teenager. I met him when he tried to pickpocket me,” Yuuri finished quietly as his friend cleared his throat. 

“So let me get this straight, your money, hoodie, and scarf are with a teenager that should by all accounts be in jail for trying to steal from you.” Phichit tapped his spoon on the side of the cup in his hand. 

“Pretty much.” Yuuri pressed his hands to his face. 

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Yuuri Katsuki?” Phichit asked lips pulled into a frown. 

“It’s still me. Trust me, I’m not sure what this is either, but I want to help him. Today when I saw him he had this huge bruise and a cut cheek. He said some man had gotten handsy and hit him when he turned him away,” Yuuri babbled. 

Phichit sat across from him, his frown only becoming more of a grimace. “Is this kid a teenage prostitute.” 

Yuuri shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “I think so?” 

“You thi- Yuuri! What are you doing? Do you know this could ruin everything your family has built?” Phichit groaned abandoning his own cup of soup on the other side of the bedside table. 

“It’s not like that! I don’t want him like that. I would never do something like that!” Yuuri whined through his palms. Phichit stood up and paced between the beds, tossing his hands up in the air. 

“This is the person you wanted me to look into, isn’t it? You want to see what kind of a past he’s had, don’t you?” Phichit accused. 

“Yes. Phichit, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you everything, but I didn’t really think it would matter. I just want to see what his history is so I can help him,” Yuuri confessed. 

“Okay. Fine. Sure. Give me his name.” Phichit opened his palm and stretched them out towards Yuuri. 

“Are you sure?” Yuuri flinched back away from the outstretched hand. 

Phichit shrugged. “Yeah, we are going to look up this kid. You are going to learn more about him, and then you are going to leave well enough alone. Right? _Right?_ ” 

Yuuri fell back onto the bed. “You know I can’t do that Phichit. I want to help him, but I don’t know what to do if I know nothing about him.” 

He feels his best friend’s eyes boring holes into him, but Yuuri doesn’t look. He doesn’t want to look at the face that Phichit is making in his direction. He didn’t need to see the other to know Phichit was absolutely concerned. 

“What’s his name Yuuri?” Phichit prompted again. 

“Victor Nikiforov.” Yuuri sighed and shut his eyes. 

“Give me three days. On the third day we will review the information together before you decide to do anything. Just promise me that whatever we find that third day you’ll sleep on before you do anything stupid. Okay?” Phichit’s voice is firm. Yuuri knows better than to argue with his friend when he’s like this. 

“My hands are tied until you get this done, Phi.” Yuuri agreed. 

“Good. I’m glad we agree on this.” Phichit sats back on his bed, picking his soup back up and quietly finishing his cup. Yuuri was too tired to try and even pretend that he could finish his. 

“You know Yuuri, this is the first time you’ve had an interest on anyone outside of your jobs or our family,” Phichit pointed out. 

“Victor caught my attention.” Yuuri curled up on his bed, his back to his best friend. 

“I’ll start working tonight.” Yuuri heard his friend as he sat down at his computer and his fingers plucked away at the keyboard. The sound of it soothed Yuuri to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Yuuri shifted in his bed. 

The covers molded around him, and the light coming in through the window was normally less abrasive on his eyes when he woke up. 

_Wait._

A bolt of panic ran from his brain down his spine and ejected enough adrenaline into his body that he lept up and off the bed, the covers still wrapped around him. Looking around wildly, he scampered to the window and tossed open the already half-opened curtains. 

Snow fell from the sky and covered every bit of the street and sidewalk below. 

It hadn’t been that bad last night, but apparently it had accumulated through the night and posed a real problem. Yuuri squinted at the clock on the bedside table. 

_I had a meeting today at 10:30 with Yakov, Georgi, and Mila._

His heart stopped as he could just make out the numbers. 

**10:35.**

“Oh God! I’m late.” Yuuri let go of the blanket and stumbled towards the bathroom, slamming the door as he turned on the shower. Steam filled the room, and Yuuri tossed his clothing off as he struggled to brush his teeth at the same time. In a frenzy of activity Yuuri jumped into the shower and rinsed off his body. 

“No time, no time, no time!” He muttered as he toweled off each body part, and then slung the towel around his waist. 

He was just about to reach for the hair gel when the bathroom door opened. 

“Yuuri?” Phichit’s sleepy voice filtered into the bathroom. 

“Phichit! My alarm didn’t go off. Yakov and the others will be furious that we missed the meeting. They may even break the alliance because of this!” Yuuri trembled as he turned to his best friend.

He had failed. 

He had done the one thing that he promised himself he would never do. Now he would have to live with the consequences. 

Phichit eyed him warily and shook his head. “Did you check your emails?” 

Yuuri took a gasping breath and pressed his right hand against his chest to try and keep himself present. He was starting to feel a tight feeling in his chest. 

Phichit’s eyes widened as he moved into the bathroom. “Yuuri, it’s okay.” 

Yuuri took a deep breath and didn’t feel like it went anywhere. 

Phichit pulled up his own e-mails and flipped to one. “Here. I’ll read it. ‘Yuuri and Phichit, the commute for you will be difficult in the snow. You have both taken the time to make sure that we have what we need so please take the next few days off. Regards, Yakov Feltsman.’” 

Yuuri let out the breath he had been holding as he let the tube of hair gel fall from his fingers. “Thank goodness.” 

Phichit reached down and grabbed the tube returning it to the small group of products on the hotel bathroom counter. Turning to his best friend, he reached out and brushed his fingers down Yuuri’s damp sides soothingly as he stepped closer. “You know I wouldn’t let you miss a meeting. I didn’t mean for you to get upset either. I tuned off your alarm because I know how hard it is for you to get to sleep normally.” 

The tension in his body eased, and Yuuri leaned back against the counter as he took a few deep breaths. 

He hadn’t failed. 

They were all still safe. 

_Thank goodness._

“Yuuri?” Phichit whispered. 

Yuuri looked up at his friend and gave him a shaky grin. “Your consideration is going to kill me one of these days.” 

Phichit smiled at him and reached up tapping the end of his nose, “That’s more like it. So, how about we dry your hair properly, get dressed, and spend the day watching popular soap operas and making up dialogue for them?” 

“Sounds great. It would be even better with a good breakfast. Maybe if the snow lets up later we can walk around and you can take pictures?” Yuuri suggested as he wrapped his towel a little more firmly around his waist. 

Phichit motioned for him to sit on the toilet which Yuuri obeyed without question. Grabbing another towel from the cabinet in the bathroom, Phichit gently tossed it over Yuuri’s head. “Honestly, you were going to try and put gel in your hair when it was wet? Are you crazy? Do you _want_ to get sick?” 

“My wet hair is not as important as keeping a meeting with Mila, Georgi and Yakov.” Yuuri rumbled as he let the other rub his hair dry. 

Phichit hummed and shook his head with a small smile. “I think even the fearsome Yakov Feltsman might scold you for going to his home with wet hair. His face would be so red!” 

Yuuri felt his mood lighten as his friend pulled the towel off his head and tossed it towards the dirty clothes. Phichit grinned and pulled up his camera taking a picture of Yuuri. “Look at yourself. You look like a fluffy chick!” 

Phichit turned his phone around and Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up. “Phichit, erase that photo.” 

Tapping his phone to his lips, Phichit grinned and spun around and left the bathroom. “Nuh uh, it’s going in my Yuuri Katsuki folder!” 

Standing up, Yuuri followed Phichit out to the main bedroom. 

Phichit had already situated himself on Yuuri’s bed in a nest of blankets. Yuuri smiled and plopped down next to him. Phichit wiggled over until his hip pressed to Yuuri’s, and he nuzzled his cheek with his nose. “We haven’t had a day to just be us in a long time. No work, no nothing.” 

“Yeah. It’s nice.” Yuuri sighed as he pressed his side against Phichit’s. 

Phichit reached out threading their fingers together as he picked up the remote with his other hand. “Let’s see what bad soap operas we can find. I’m sure there are bound to be some.” 

\----

Rest was good. 

Rest was great. 

But Yuuri found himself getting absolutely _restless_. 

Phichit had found a good Russian soap opera, and they had ordered breakfast and made up the dialogue for each of the characters weaving a story of their own for them. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours, but while Yuuri normally loved to stay inside and out of the way of others, his thoughts kept wandering. 

_I hope Victor is okay._

The thought kept coming to him. Whether it was because his mind wandered there by itself or if it was someone that may have looked similar in the characters they saw on the soap opera that they didn’t know, but his mind always went back to the young mystery man.

If Phichit saw that his mind was wandering and somewhere else, or if he repeated some of his dialogue for their rendition of the television show, he didn’t say anything. 

He didn’t deserve to have a friend like Phichit. 

Instead of letting his mind wander any further, Yuuri sighed. “Since we have the day off, why don’t we go outside and look around a little bit?” 

Phichit blinked and turned from the television. “Hmm?” 

“You haven’t been able to go out and take pictures, so maybe with all the snow you can find some really unique ones?”

“We could also get you a hoodie at one of those trendy shops first, run around a little, and then go eat.” Phichit rolled onto his back, tapping the screen on his phone. The phone lit up and illuminated his face as he pulled up a search engine. 

“I guess that would make sense.” Yuuri had a coat, but it was more business appropriate than for running around outside of work. It always drew the kind of attention that Yuuri didn’t like. Phichit knew that and was considerate enough to remind Yuuri without saying it that he had given his favorite hoodie away to a young pickpocket. 

His thoughts travelled back to Victor. Taking a deep breath Yuuri tried to ground himself in the present. He would see Victor again soon, but this was a rare day that he and Phichit could spend together. 

They needed this. 

Through all the work and all the rushing they had to do for work, they were still best friends. They had to have time to decompress and work on maintaining their friendship. 

Yuuri _wanted_ to be present for this. 

The ugly bruise on Victor’s cheek bothered him. Who had put it there? 

_Is he really safe like you think he is?_

No. He wasn’t. 

Victor wouldn’t be until Yuuri had figured out what he could do to help the teen’s situation, but it would take a couple more days before he could really do anything else. After all, without asking for Yakov’s help or alerting the police to his search, Phichit had to work carefully. 

He was working towards an answer, but Phichit deserved the time off. 

“Also, I think I would feel bad if you didn’t take me for dinner.” Phichit hummed as he stood up and tossed his phone onto his bed, moving to his suitcase. 

Yuuri rolled his eyes and sat up tugging his shirt over his head. “Anywhere you want. My treat for you working so hard.” 

“I think I want to see this restaurant you’ve been bringing the soup from. I kind of want to see if they have anything besides soup and bread.” Phichit called out before he shut himself in the bathroom. 

Yuuri felt his pulse jump. He hid his smile and turned to grab a long sleeve shirt and then an older jacket he had packed for days like this. It wasn’t a warm option, certainly not as warm as the hoodie he had given to Victor, but it would do. 

Slipping out of his pajama pants and into jeans, Yuuri sighed. 

If they went to the restaurant they would have to walk along that street. If they walked along that street, then they would ultimately run into Victor if he was out and about. 

_You act like you want him to be in the cold._

“At least I’d know that he ate well.” Victor was rail thin. It had become more apparent when Yuuri had slipped his fingers around the young man’s wrist. He had a fey-like appearance which probably helped him with his clientele, but Victor shouldn’t have had to rely on his looks. 

He should have been a regular kid, going to school, getting an education and deciding what college he wanted to go to. 

_Why is he special? Why don’t you help more people?_

The thought stuck in his mind. 

He _could_ start looking into helping other kids, but he had never really been moved to do so before. Phichit exited the bathroom in a pair of jeans as he looked to Yuuri and snorted. “I can hear your brain from here. Stop thinking so much.” 

“I’ll try not to.” Yuuri chuckled and tugged at the zipper on his jacket as he looked down at the tanned worn fabric. 

Getting ready didn’t take near as long as it normally would if they were heading out for work. Dressing in regular clothes was really easy compared to wearing a bespoke suit and having to put in his contacts. Phichit never took long to get ready and always looked great no matter what he wore. 

Stepping out of the hotel, Yuuri steeled himself against the wind. 

Phichit rubbed his hands together and covered his mouth. “Remember, this was your idea. No complaining.” 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “Come on. Do you have the address of the shop you found?” 

Phichit wrapped his arms around himself and nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I googled it and it said it’s right around the corner. I doubt either one of us will want to be out here too long.”

“Lead the way.” Yuuri tipped his chin up at his friend with a small smile.

Phichit reached out, wrapping his fingers into the arm of the worn coat and tugged Yuuri with him as he moved down the street. 

Yuuri let him. 

He let Phichit draw him into a shop with loud music and several teenagers looking bored with nothing to do. For the most part Yuuri and Phichit were ignored as Phichit tugged Yuuri over to the hoodies. 

“Let’s look here.” Phichit narrowed his eyes on the clothing rack and went to town. Yuuri stood back as his friend browsed through the hoodies. 

“Too big. Too boring. Too black...Hmm...Maybe?” Phichit muttered under his breath. 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “I don’t mind it being too black. I like darker and muted colors, remember?” 

“Yeah, but everything aside from the jacket you're wearing is normally monochrome or muted. You need some _light_ in your life.” Phichit chuckled and turned holding out a dark green hoodie. 

Yuuri scrunched his nose at it. 

Phichit sighed. “Just try it on? For me?” 

Tugging off his jacket, Yuuri grabbed the hoodie from Phichit and slid it on. Phichit hummed and shrugged. “I’m not in love with it. Okay, take it off.” 

Yuuri took it off as commanded and handed it back. 

They went through several more hoodies before Phichit finally found one that both he and Yuuri agreed on. It was a dark blue hoodie, with no logos or embroidery on it, but it was comfortable. Phichit pulled out his credit card and handed it over to the cashier. 

The teen popped a bubble with their gum and rang up the purchase. Phichit smiled, took his card back, and shoved the bagged hoodie into Yuuri’s chest. “There we go! Now all we have to do is be on the lookout for a really good scarf.” 

“I think that can wait another day. After all, part of this was so you could take pictures,” Yuuri reminded his friend kindly. 

“But _Yuuri_!!! If you get sick Yakov will have problems with production. Not to mention we still have more work to do once the snow lets up a little,” Phichit complained. 

“We will have more than enough time to find a scarf. Come on, I know that you’ve been ignoring your fans on Instagram.” Yuuri urged his friend as he nudged him out into the cold once more.


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the day went by quickly once they were done with the little bit of shopping they had to do. They had returned briefly to put up Yuuri’s coat and to get him changed into his hoodie before going out again. 

Phichit had to drag Yuuri to St. Isaac’s Cathedral where he took his time taking pictures of himself and Yuuri in front of the structure. Then it was off to the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood for more pictures and more history. 

Once they were done, the sun was starting to set in the sky. 

“So what else do we want to do before dinner?” Phichit asked as he flopped onto the last piece of concrete not covered in snow on the street.

Yuuri brushed his hands through the film of snow on the ground beside him and shrugged. “I think I’d be okay with a slow walk back towards the restaurant and an early dinner. Then we can go back to the hotel room and both of us can take warm showers and we can spend the rest of the night resting.” 

Phichit leaned against his side and nudged Yuuri with his shoulder. “Sounds perfect. Let’s go.” 

Standing up and starting down the street again, Yuuri let silence fill the small space between them. Phichit hummed in appreciation and typed out messages with his selfies and shots he deemed worth of gracing his Instagram page. 

Yuuri slipped into a comfortable silence beside him, thankful his best friend knew he didn’t need to fill the silence. 

Sometimes it was better than trying to talk at all. 

It took them longer to find their way back into the familiar territory of their neighborhood, but after a good walk Yuuri started to recognize the buildings and signs around them. 

His heart started to beat a little faster in his chest. 

_Victor._

He wasn’t sure he would see Victor, but he at least wanted to try and stop by and see if he was all right. Yuuri walked towards the end of the block they were on and turned left. 

There were less people out on the streets than normal thanks to the snow, but there were still people out and about dotting the streets here and there. Yuuri scanned the thin groups of people searching for that tell-tale silver hair. 

“Yuuri. Slow down!” Phichit called. His friend grabbed his arm and Yuuri blinked and looked back at Phichit. 

The other had his hand firmly clutched in his right hand and his fingers around Yuuri’s arm. 

“Phichit?” 

Phichit smiled sheepishly. “You almost left me behind.” 

Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up. “Oh? I’m sorry. I guess I’m just hungry.” 

Phichit eyed him and rolled his eyes, dropping his hand on Yuuri’s arm. “Sure. That’s what that was. I also hope you don’t think after we went shopping I’m going to let you give this hoodie to your pickpocket boyfriend, do you?” 

Yuuri spun and faced his friend. “Phichit! You can’t say that. Someone might get the wrong idea!” 

Phichit waved him off and turned giving the street a once over. “So, where is this Victor Nikiforov you’ve let get so close to you?” 

Yuuri sighed and turned around, they were nearly at the shop now, but there was no Victor to be found. 

_Am I too late?_

Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek and shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the salt on the street. “Not sure. I guess he probably decided not to come out tonight like you said.” 

_Either that or someone hurt him, and he might be in an alley somewhere._

His mind was not his friend. In situations where Yuuri had little control his anxiety was the worst. This was one of those times that his thoughts turned renegade and sent his body into a panic, and the shittiest part was he could try and logic everything away and it still wouldn’t help. 

“Yuuri? Are you okay?” Phichit’s voice cut through the haze of thoughts as he leaned over and into his field of vision. 

Yuuri forced himself to take a deep breath and nod. “Just a little worried for him. That’s all.” 

Phichit frowned and nodded, standing up. “Look. There are only a few people out tonight. Only people who really had business or had to come out are probably out here. Victor is probably home safe and sound.” 

_I want to believe Phichit. I really do, but…_

Yuuri swallowed another breath of air and motioned to the warm light illuminating the store window beside them. “Let’s go inside.” 

Like usual the place was warm and inviting on the inside. The old woman sat on her chair behind the counter, her eyes narrowed at Yuuri as he trailed in behind Phichit. Beside her today was a young woman, probably a little younger than himself and Phichit. The woman barked out an order and the girl picked up two menus and approached the table they had picked to occupy. 

“Good evening, gentlemen.” The girl spoke English very well, though her accent was a little heavier than Victor’s even. He wondered if that had something to do with the area where Victor may have grown up. 

“Evening!” Phichit chimed out as he accepted the menu from her and she smiled at him. When she turned to Yuuri, her smile was a little more forced. Yuuri felt his stomach clench as she offered him the menu. 

Before she could say anything more the old woman hobbled up to the table and stuck her finger in Yuuri’s face. Yuuri leaned back as she grumbled at him, and Yuuri smiled apologetically. “I-I’m sorry I don’t-” 

The young girl gently pulled the old lady’s finger out from his face as she turned to talk to the old woman in soft soothing tones. The old lady yanked her hand out from the young woman’s grip which didn’t phase the younger woman at all. 

She turned back to Yuuri and eyed him curiously. “My grandmother wants to know where the young man is tonight.” 

Yuuri shook his head slowly. “I don’t know.” 

The young girl relayed the information to the old woman who tossed up her hands into the air and shouted something at Yuuri, gesturing with her hands. The young waitress held up her hands in a sign of appeasement to the older woman before she turned back to Yuuri. 

“My grandmother said that you should take better care of him and that you should take responsibility for him instead of promising him food and using his body.” Yuuri felt his brain stutter and his hands hit the table making everyone around him including the old woman jump. 

Phichit narrowed his eyes on the woman and looked back to Yuuri, tipping his head to the side. 

He knew what Phichit wanted them to do. 

Confrontation wasn’t an option. 

Not in their position.

Phichit thought it was best they leave, but Yuuri set his jaw and turned to face the old woman. “I’m not using Victor for his body. I’m not that kind of person. I find that kind of person sick. I really did just want to give him food and take care of some of the things he needed when he was here.” 

The young girl dutifully translated his words to the woman. The owner watched him for a second and shook her head slowly. Taking a deep breath, the old woman wiped her hands on her apron as she spat words out at Yuuri. 

She turned and waddled back into the kitchen, the young girl bit her lip and looked over her shoulder hesitant to if she should stay or follow. 

“What did she just say?” Yuuri asked quietly. 

The young girl looked at him, a frown on her lips. “I’m not sure I should say.” 

“Please? I’m sure I’ve heard worse before.” Yuuri requested quietly again. 

The youth sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “The gist of it was that all foreigners are pigs and cannot keep it in their pants. She also said that buying the kid food is giving him false hope and you should stop. Feeding someone a few times is cruel and isn’t enough.” 

_She’s right of course._

Food only wouldn’t help. That’s why they needed the information. He wanted to make sure that they had enough to be able to plan out a way to help Victor. 

“Thank you. Would it be all right for us to go ahead and get our food to go? I think we spoiled the mood coming in here.” Phichit requested kindly. 

The words sounded hollow in his head. 

The young girl nodded stiffly and took the order Phichit gave her. Yuuri tightened his hands in his lap and looked down at the table top. Before he could think on what he was doing, he stood up and marched towards the counter, opened his wallet and slapped down several rubles. It was his allowance from Yakov for the last two days. 

The old woman behind the counter regarded him with stony silence. 

“I know you can’t understand me, but you can have the young lady translate it to you.” Yuuri gritted out, his hand crumpling the bills slightly. 

The old woman tipped her head up and squinted at him. 

“I know this isn’t enough, and that’s what I am working on right now. Don’t act like you know how I feel or what any of this -” Yuuri waved his hand in the air. “Is doing to me. I genuinely want to help him. He should be able to have a normal life,” Yuuri finished as he nodded at this money. 

“If you see him, please feed him and tell him I’ll be back around the same time tomorrow.” Yuuri let out a shuddering breath and stepped away from the counter and back towards Phichit. His friend tried to reach out and touch him, but Yuuri gently brushed his hand away as he stepped out of reach. 

_Not now._

Phichit flinched and moved to go take care of their bill. Yuuri barely registered any of that, his insides were shaking from the fierce agitation that had slowly built up inside himself. 

The old woman’s words had struck a deep chord in him. 

It was almost too deep. 

Once Phichit was done, his friend opened the door to the restaurant and Yuuri stepped out and onto the street. Phichit fell in close step to him as he let out a slow sigh. “I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but this is exactly what I was afraid would happen.”

“What that people would think I’m trying to bed a child?” Yuuri grumbled. 

“No, that you were being bullied by Russians.” Phichit’s lips split into a small smile. 

Yuuri snorted and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hoodie sleeve. “If that were actually true you would have put a stop to it by now.” 

“True. But I have to admit, I’ve never seen you let anyone talk to you like that before.” Phichit shook his head as he chuckled. 

“What good would it do to make a fuss about an old woman? She’s looking out for Victor in her own way,” Yuuri muttered. There was a part of him that knew that people should be afraid of him, but he also knew that he hadn’t exactly made that kind of a reputation around where they lived for a reason. 

\----------

“I thought we didn’t have any work today.” Phichit sighed as he watched Yuuri turn on some of the lights to brighten the room. 

“Well, this is more of a report that I put off,” Yuuri explained with a small smile. 

“You haven’t put it off. In fact, it’s on your calendar. _For tomorrow_.” Phichit motioned to Yuuri’s phone as his friend took off his hoodie and tossed it onto the bed. Plopping down into his work chair, Yuuri entered in his password and waited for his computer to boot up his windows and reconnect to the internet. 

It didn’t take long. 

Checking the time, he nodded satisfied to himself and opened up Skype, adjusting the laptop to where his face could be seen on camera as he waited for the video call to connect. 

“This is about what that old woman said, isn’t it?” Phichit grumbled as he settled himself into the chair next to Yuuri, his pouting face joining Yuuri’s making him laugh. 

“Sort of, but I’ve kind of put off this call about it, too.” 

_After all. I can’t really do much about it if they say no._

His nerves were on edge as the call connected and Mari Katsuki’s face popped up on the screen. It had been a few weeks since they had last chatted, and even longer since they had seen each other in person. Yuuri’s heart clenched in his chest as he stared at her. She was in her onsen uniform, hair pulled back. “I was wondering how long it would take to call. I almost called you myself.” 

“I figured. We had a day off so I thought it would be easier to call now instead of stopping any work we may be doing later today.” Yuuri grinned at her, and she returned an easy smile. 

“Homesick?” Mari offered up. 

It was half true. Yuuri missed being home, but then again his home had always been where he was shipped when he was younger. But Hasetsu was still his true home. “Kind of, but it’ll just be a couple of weeks now. Maybe two or three.” 

“Unless something large happens and Yakov needs us longer. We’ve pretty much set them up with the best place for Mila to go for her surrogate appointments. Leo and Guang Hong have accepted the terms of the contract. Everything is going so well that it’s only going to make the alliance between all the groups stronger.” Phichit leaned against Yuuri’s shoulder, smiling at his sister. 

“Well, if this is the production you guys can do together then I think our experiment with keeping Phichit and you as a team is a success.” Mari nodded as she leaned back into her chair. 

Yuuri tapped his fingers beside the keyboard as he murmured. “How are mom and dad?” 

“Doing well. They’ve taken to their retirement with relish. Dad is still working with his alcohol and looking over the numbers with mom here, but they are happy they’ve been able to step back and let us handle things.” 

“You mean let you handle things.” Yuuri chuckled amicably. 

Mari squinted at him for a second. “You’re just as valuable as I am. You’re the one that continued dad’s travel and strengthening the ties between the families that wanted an alliance. You are the beacon and trust that binds many of them together.” 

The weight of the responsibility of that was not lost on Yuuri. 

He had been passed around and taught many things when he was younger. The pressure mounted and continued to build the older he got. The more he learned the tighter his bonds became with certain crime families. 

This had been something the Katsuki’s had done before Yuuri and Mari had even been thought of, and it had definitely been something even before Toshiya’s time. It made things run smooth, and it kept from more blood being shed in the street than was necessary. 

What they did was important. 

What _he_ did was important. 

“You haven’t had any attacks or anything have you? Do you have enough medicine, or do I need to see if we can send you more?” Mari asked. 

Shaking his head, Yuuri gave her a small smile. “I had a small attack earlier but not for work reasons.” 

Mari leaned forward. “Oh? What caused the attack?” 

“Well, you see…” Yuuri didn’t know how to broach this subject. He hadn’t thought that he would ever do something like this and here he was staring at his sister, the leader of the mediators the alliance employed. 

“Yuuri found a child bride!” Phichit grinned and threw an arm around Yuuri. 

Mari blinked. Yuuri felt the blood drain out of his face as he turned to look at Phichit. “Phichit!”

His head whipped around to look at his sister, she sat there face blank as he waved his hands. “No, he’s wrong. I mean there is a young man I want to kind of help out, but only because it seems such a waste to not help become something better.” 

His sister’s shoulders visibly lost their tension as she tsked and pulled out her pack of cigarettes. Lighting one up, she leaned back in her chair, inhaling and holding the smoke in her mouth for a moment. 

After what felt like an eternity, she exhaled the smoke at the camera. 

Yuuri wrinkled his nose but didn’t say anything as he waited for her to take in and dissect the information. Whatever she said would be what they would follow. 

“Do we have any information about this boy?” 

Phichit sat up and shook his head. “Not yet. We just got his last name, so I’ve been working carefully so as not to anger Yakov or the local police. It was Yuuri’s idea so that he can see exactly how he wants to help the young man.” 

“You and I definitely both have good heads on our shoulders little brother.” The levity of the statement made Yuuri exhale the breath he had been holding as he nodded and gave his sister a small smile. 

“Of course you know that your work will always come first. If this kid sticks his nose into something he shouldn’t, it could be inconvenient for us. It’s not just you that has your name and life on the line. Just remember that.” Yuuri nodded at his sister’s words. 

“That’s why I want to see what he’s done or what information we can find. I want to help, but I don’t know if we can if things are too far gone.” Yuuri answered truthfully. 

_No matter what, I have to protect my family and friends back in Hasetsu. This isn’t just about me anymore, and it never will be again unless I retire._

That was the sword hanging above their heads. 

They could retire, but there was a good handful of people that might find that notion distasteful and with no children of their own they were stuck for the foreseeable future. Yuuri knew it and so did Mari. 

“I trust you to do what’s right and to protect those that are closest to you, Yuuri. If this kid can be helped and we can do that while doing what we do, then I think that’ll be fine.” Mari shrugged and took a drag of her cigarette. 

Yuuri nodded. “I promise.” 

Mari nodded. “It’s just a few weeks now. Do what you have to, fix things up and come home. You’ve earned a well deserved break. Both of you.” 

Phichit and Yuuri looked at each other and grinned and then nodded to Mari, before the connection was cut. 

“See that wasn’t so bad.” Yuuri patted Phichit’s hand. 

“Your sister isn’t the one I’m worried about. If this all gets out it really could put things on shaky ground. Not everyone knows you that well to know you think with your glass heart and head and not your dick.” Phichit. 

Yuuri pushed his hand over Phichit’s mouth. “Don’t say it like that!” 

Phichit licked his palm and Yuuri grimaced at the feel of saliva on his palm. “Gross!” 

Phichit slid out of his chair and bounced towards his bed. “Just promise me when we get the information and you know what you’re going to do that you clear it with Mari and I first, okay? I’m too pretty to disappear without a trace!” 

Yuuri rubbed his hand on his leg with distaste. “I know. How much longer before we have the information?” 

“Since we didn’t work today, I’ll try and get it by tomorrow evening.” Phichit grabbed a towel and disappeared into the bathroom. 

Tomorrow night. 

_I can definitely wait until then._

At least Yuuri hoped so.


	8. Chapter 8

Yuuri sank back into his chair as he looked across the desk at Mila. The young woman grinned at him and tapped her pen onto the piece of paper that she had in front of her. Georgi was sat next to her and Yakov at the end of the table. 

No one said a word. 

“I think I can honestly say that this went better than expected,” Georgi grumbled as he flipped through a list of names with pictures attached to them. 

“You act like you aren’t about to jump up and hug Yuuri for making less work for you,” Mila teased as she circled something on the paper and passed it over to Georgi. He took the paperwork and cleared his throat and shot his sister a glare. 

“Mila,” Yakov warned. The young woman’s cheeks colored as she turned shyly away from him and winked at Yuuri. 

Yuuri sighed and shook his head with a small smile. 

“With this work, it looks like there are just a few details to clean up, and then Yuuri will be able to leave us,” Yakov rumbled as Georgi passed him all the paperwork. 

“You found Mila’s clinic, went over and edited the contracts, made it acceptable for Mila, Leo and Guang Hong Ji, found guards for the announcement party, and also booked bodyguards for after the child is conceived that will not stress Mila out.” Georgi ticked off each point on his fingers. 

Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up. “It’s been nice to be able to help out with something that isn’t a mediation. I like doing things like this.” 

“Well, when Sara and I decide to have a child, I hope you will help us draw up the contracts again Yuuri. You’ve been so great through this process.” Mila reached out her hand touching his. 

“I can do everything but be the surrogate myself.” Yuuri smiled back at the younger woman. 

Yakov grimaced. “I am not ready to talk about being a grandfather yet. You are still too young to have one of your own.” 

Mila tossed back her head as she laughed, “Don’t worry Yakov. I am sure that Sara shares your thoughts at the moment. We aren’t ready for that responsibility yet.” 

Yuuri relaxed into the easy atmosphere of the room, a small smile playing on his lips. 

Mila had always had a big heart. Guang Hong Ji and Leo were friends Yuuri had grown up with in China and America. The two were deeply in love and had been having such a hard time finding a surrogate for the child they desperately wanted in their lives. 

Mila was doing this for them. 

While it showed Mila’s big heart, it also showed the generosity of the Feltsman Bratva. 

Georgi also had done many things to make sure that any possible conflicts stayed to a minimum so that Yuuri and Phichit had hardly had to do any mediation while they were there. They were called out very rarely now, and Georgi was well liked by all the small groups in the area. 

Yuuri couldn’t be more proud of his friends. 

Feeling Yakov’s eyes on him, he turned to look towards the older man at the end of the table. Yakov looked as if he wanted to say something, but he just sat there studying Yuuri for a few seconds. 

“Is something wrong, Yakov?” Yuuri prompted. 

Yakov was definitely more of a father figure to him than any of the crime bosses he had trained alongside, had never pulled his punches, and Yuuri and blossomed under his strict tutelage as a result. His father and mother had both agreed that Yuuri should spend time in Russia with him when he could. 

Yakov tapped his fingers on the table and sighed. “I heard something from one of our informants the other day.” 

Yuuri blinked. “What did you hear?” 

_Don’t tell me this is about Victor..._

“There is no easy way to say it. They said you were out talking and seen giving money to a child whore.” Yakov doesn’t meet his eyes. 

Mila and Georgi turned towards him, both shocked at Yakov’s words. 

“Yuuri?” Mila’s voice is small in his ears. 

_Yep, it’s definitely about Victor._

Yuuri pressed his hand to his forehead as he shook his head slowly. “It’s not what you think, I promise.” 

Yakov sat back and nodded. “I figured as much. You don’t seem the type to enjoy the pleasures of children. Can you tell us what this is about?” 

“Almost a week ago, I was walking home and this boy bumped into me and stole my money. I got it back, but when I talked to him he said he was doing that to eat. Instead of letting him go and pickpocket someone else, I gave him that day’s allowance,” Yuuri explained. 

Mila, Georgi, and Yakov all exchanged glances and smiles. 

Yuuri blinked as he watched them. 

“Yuuri,the child is probably just a thief and nothing else. He may pickpocket and sleep with others to get his way. If you keep meeting with him, he’ll drain your finances dry and laugh at you as he skips off into the night,” Yakov grimaced. 

_Victor isn’t like that…_

Part of him didn’t want to believe it since Victor had been so forthcoming, but he did say that he slept with others. Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek and nodded to his mentor. Yakov was just looking out for him, but it was still frustrating. 

Taking a deep breath, Yuuri tapped his fingers on the desk. “I have seen him a few more times and fed him, but that’s the extent of my relationship with him.” 

Yakov shook his head gently with a snort. “I think you should leave well enough alone, but what you do is up to you. Just take care of yourself first,anything else is all on you.” 

Mila smiled. “Look at our Yuuri, so kind.” 

Georgi huffed. “If anything maybe we should have been more adamant that you and Phichit stayed here instead.” 

Yuuri shook his head. “We didn’t want to impose.” 

Yakov waved his hand dismissively. “Just in case, I think next time it would be better for you to stay here or at least accept at least one escort to and from work just to make sure no one else tries anything.” 

Yuuri hummed noncommittally. “We will revisit it the next time we are back here in town.” 

“Are you sure you can’t stay longer and go to the announcement party? I really wish you’d stay,” Mila pressed again as she smiled at him from across the table. 

“I’m only cleared by Mari to stay for another two weeks at the most. There isn’t very much work to finish, and they really want me back in Hasetsu. If I can come back, I’ll take the time and do so.” Yuuri agreed with a sigh. 

“I’ll have to send an invitation to your sister and parents as well.” Mila clapped her hands together with a small smile. 

His parents and sister wouldn’t make the trip and would obviously send back Yuuri and Phichit as the representative,but it was always nice for them to get an invitation to events like this since their organization had such a hand in getting things ready behind the scenes. 

“They will probably hang it in the family room.” Yuuri chuckled and shook his head. 

“I have a few other meetings today, so I’ll excuse myself.” Georgi nodded his head and stood up. 

Mila looked over at him as he left and gasped as the alarm on her phone went off. “I have a call with Sara in a couple of minutes! I need to get ready for that!” 

Both of Yakov’s children stood up and exited the room quietly, leaving Yakov and Yuuri by themselves. 

Yuuri sighed and stood up. “Well, I should probably get back to the hotel and make sure that Phichit’s working on getting the information I need.” 

“Yuuri, I hope you do not take offense to the questions or the unwanted advice. I only want what’s best for you like I do for my Mila and Georgi,” Yakov reminded him as he pushed his chair back and stood up from the meeting table. 

Yuuri felt the tension at the words slip somewhat as he nodded and looked to Yakov. “I appreciate it. I really do, but there is something about this young man that I feel like he needs help.” 

Yakov frowned and pressed his hand against the top of the table. “If you need something in regards to this, please let me know. Although it will come at a price.” 

Of course it would. Nothing came free between people in this world, and no matter what any help would come with a price. It would be the same if it were the other way around. 

Yuuri slipped on his jacket. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for everything, Yakov.” 

\-----

Yuuri shut the door behind him and locked the top lock into place. The scent of cheese and pepperoni assaulted his nose. 

His stomach betrayed him, gurgling happily at the discovery. 

“There you are! I ordered pizza, and it was starting to get cold without you,” Phichit called from the makeshift desk. 

“Sorry, I stopped by the restaurant and gave the old lady our hotel address, my cell number, and some money for Victor if he needed it to eat,” Yuuri mumbled as he walked by Phichit and swiped a piece of pizza from the box. It was the perfect temperature, and the cheese was just right. 

“What’s the occasion? Normally you would be watching me like a hawk with my diet.” Yuuri squinted at Phichit suspiciously. 

“Can’t a guy get his best friend a pizza for a job well done?” Phichit asked as he grabbed a piece and bit off the end. Yuuri narrowed his eyes at Phichit as his friend refused to meet his eyes. 

_Oh._

“Did you talk to Yakov before our meeting? Did you tell him about Victor?” Yuuri asked quietly. 

Phichit took two more bites of his pizza. “No, but he did call me and asked me to talk sense into you if you were seeing a child whore.” 

“His name is Victor. He’s not a child whore.” Yuuri chewed on a pepperoni and sighed as he sat down. 

“Don’t get any on your white shirt. The ladies in laundry will cry to me again about tough stains,” Phichit warned. 

“They never complain to me,” Yuuri hummed as he took another bite. 

“So you aren’t mad?” Phichit asked, voice hopeful. 

“No, I’m pretty annoyed.” Yuuri sighed as he bit the end off the crust and narrowed his eyes on Phichit. Phichit winced as Yuuri took another meaningful bite of his crust. 

“I wasn’t going to lie, Yuuri. Yakov sounded so worried for you,” Phichit grunted around a mouthful of pizza, sulking. 

“You did the right thing. There is no reason for us to hide things from Yakov,” Yuuri conceded as he popped the last part of the crust into his mouth. 

They ate in silence, Yuuri on the bed and Phichit at the desk. They ate together until nothing was left in the box. Phichit closed the pizza box and put it together with the trash they had accumulated over the week. 

“I have something that will help you be less mad at me. Yakov gave me a pass into the police database, so I was able to gather all the information on Victor.” Phichit explained as he held up a small folder. 

Yuuri trained his eyes on the folder and reached out. 

Phichit pulled the file away with a small smile. “Remember what you promised Mari, and also what you promised me. You will sleep on any information that you find in here.” 

“Yes, I promise,” Yuuri answered a little breathlessly, reaching out for the file again. 

“Before you read it why not get comfortable. You ate in your suit, and so I’ll need to send it with our laundry tonight for it to come back clean and pressed for our morning meetings.” Phichit instructed as he pulled the file away from Yuuri again. 

Yuuri rolled his eyes and stood up. “Fine,but I want that folder on my bed when I come out.” 

“Roger that!” Phichit grinned after Yuuri as he shut himself into the bathroom. 

_Whatever is in that file I’ll do what I can to help._

That much was certain. Yuuri wouldn’t back down from helping Victor.

 _Some people don’t want help. What if Victor is one of those people?_

The thoughts swirled around in his head. His body relaxed under the warm water, but his mind refused to follow. Biting his lower lip, Yuuri tipped his head back and brushed his fingers through his hair, washing loosening his hair from the gel.

“I want to help you. Please let me help,” Yuuri spoke to himself as he lathered his hair with shampoo and rinsed it clean. 

Phichit didn’t look up from his phone as Yuuri exited the bathroom. “I put the file on the edge of the bed like you asked.” 

“Thanks, Phichit.” Yuuri rubbed the towel over his hair as he sat down on the bed. 

The bed dipped on the other side as Phichit settled next to him. Yuuri raised an eyebrow and Phichit shrugged. “I didn’t exactly look at the information. I wanted to make sure that you got a good look at it first.”

“We can look together. After all, I wouldn’t have it if it weren’t for you and Yakov.” Yuuri brushed his fingers over the pages inside the folder gently. 

“In the spirit of full disclosure, Yakov wanted a copy of the file too. I sent him the file just a little while ago, so if there is something weird in here he will see it too,” Phichit warned. 

“I’m sure there isn’t anything I haven’t suspected inside.” Yuuri turned the page.


	9. Chapter 9

“Name, Victor Nikiforov. Date of birth, December 25th.” Yuuri drug his fingertips over the writing on the file. He let his eyes wander over the page taking in the information, frowning as he continued to read. 

“Left on church steps, he was taken into the foster care system. He was passed around between three major homes until the age of fourteen.” Phichit and Yuuri exchanged frowns, and Yuuri turned to the next page. 

“After an incident when one of the foster parents at the last home was assaulted by Victor, he disappeared and was unable to be put back into the system again. The investigation only lasted a month before the police dropped the case.” Yuuri sat back and sighed. 

“Didn’t you say that Victor was around sixteen now? Yuuri, he’s been living on the streets for two years! That’s an incredibly long time to be on the street by yourself.” Phichit turned the page back to the first one and reread it. Yuuri let the information process in his mind. 

Victor wasn’t a violent person, or at least he didn’t think so. “I think this part is too ambiguous.” 

Yuuri pointed to the part in the report to the assault. Phichit nodded. “I think you’re right. I think that they probably didn’t want to release too many details. It would be easier to blame Victor since he wasn’t there to defend himself.” 

Gritting his teeth, Yuuri pressed on in the information that had come directly from the police. “It looks like he has been arrested a few times.” 

Dragging his eyes across the page, Yuuri took in the information. 

_Prostitution._

Theft. 

**Theft.**

Prostitution.

_Kidnapping?_

“Kidnapping? He’s kidnapped someone before? Are you kidding me?” Phichit whispered in disgusted reverence. Yuuri frowned and squinted at the word trying to wrap his head around the information. 

Kidnapping. 

He thought back to the beautiful smile on Victor’s face when he was happy, and then his tearstained face as Yuuri had fixed up his cheek. Yuuri flipped to the next page.A small picture of a short-haired blond boy with a scowled from the next page.

“Yuri Plisetsky. Age twelve when last seen. After the altercation between Victor and one of the foster care workers, it says that the kid was unable to be located. It says that Victor is a suspect in his kidnapping as he and the young boy were close,” Yuuri winced. 

_Did he even kidnap the boy? Or was that something else that was blamed on him?_

It didn’t matter what he speculated. He wouldn’t be able to figure it out until he talked to Victor. If the teenager ever decided to come back and talk to him. 

“Even with all this information, I’m still at a loss.,” Yuuri confessed as he looked down at the picture of Yuri Plisetsky. 

“What are you going to do if he has this kid with him, Yuuri? You banked on helping just Victor, right? What if he did take this kid, and they’ve been working together the entire time?” Phichit asked. 

Yuuri bit the tip of his thumb. 

Could he do this for two kids? If Yuri Plisetsky was important to Victor, then…

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll help them both.” Yuuri decided, standing as he turned towards the door. Before he moved two steps, Phichit grabbed his wrist. 

“Yuuri, you can’t. You promised me you’d sleep on the information I was able to get you.” Phichit argued as he tugged Yuuri back against the edge of the bed. His other arm wrapped around Yuuri’s waist. 

Yuuri pressed his hand over Phichit’s arm with a sigh. “I know I promised.” 

“Then come to bed, we can sleep together tonight, and tomorrow morning I’ll go to the meetings, and you can go find Victor and talk to him, okay?” Phichit wheedled. Yuuri squeezed his friend’s arm and sat down on the bed. 

“Good. Let’s get some sleep, and we will work on this in the morning. Sleeping on the information is the best idea, okay? I know you still want to help him, so we will.” Phichit soothed him as he pressed his chin into his shoulder. Yuuri leaned back against his best friend’s chest. 

“Come on. Let’s go to bed,” Phichit urged. Yuuri took off his glasses and sighed as he crawled into bed beside Phichit. 

He wanted to push himself to go outside, but what good would it do? It would upset Phichit. He would be forced to call Yakov, Georgi, and Mila, and then they would definitely not let him help Victor. It would do more damage than good to try and act too quickly. 

Yuuri knew this and yet he still wanted to go out and find Victor. 

Phichit turned off the lights around them and climbed into bed beside him. 

In the dark, Yuuri could barely focus in on Phichit’s features, but he knew his partner was still awake, watching him. 

“I’m worried about him, Phichit.” Yuuri whispered out reaching for his friend’s hand in the darkness. 

“I know you are.” Phichit whispered, his hand slipping into Yuuri’s. 

“What if I’m too late?” Yuuri asked shifting his face a little closer to Phichit’s. He could just make out his features, and Phichit smiled gently at him and squeezed his hand. 

“Yuuri, what is it about Victor that is so special? Can you explain it to me?” Phichit reached out with his free hand stroking his cheek. Of course, Phichit would ask him that. Yuuri knew Phichit was worried for him. 

“I’m not sure I can explain it you. You’ll have to meet him and see for yourself.” Yuuri yawned and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. 

“We aren’t good people. Not really…” Phichit reminded him. 

“I know, but maybe I want to be.” Yuuri let his eyes slide shut. 

“Well, no matter what I’m on your side. I want to help. There isn’t anything that we can’t accomplish if we work together.” Phichit’s words made Yuuri relax enough that he curled up against his friend and fell asleep. 

\----

Falling asleep close to Phichit helped. Sometimes it was easier to share a bed and rest, and of course Phichit wanted to make sure that he didn’t get out of bed before the morning. 

It was a brand of caring that Yuuri only allowed a select few people to exercise when it was directed towards him. Phichit got away with it far more than most because they were so close and had been for so long. 

BANG! BANG! BANG! 

Yuuri blinked and bolted upright in the darkness of the room. Phichit rolled over as he reached out and clicked on the bedside lamp. 

BANG! BANG! BANG! 

Yuuri reached for his glasses and placed them back on his face. Phichit slowly sat up and motioned towards Yuuri. “Lay back down. I’ll get the door.” 

Yuuri slowly slid back under the covers, pulling them up. Phichit reached into the side drawer and pulled out a small pistol. With one last look, Phichit stood up and slowly unlatched and opened the door just a fraction. “Hello?” 

Watching Phichit, Yuuri slowly sat up and watched from the bed. 

A deep voice boomed from outside, and there was a quiet voice that called out, “Yuuri told me to come here if I needed him! I need him it’s an emergency! I tried to call him -” 

That voice. 

_Victor._

“Phichit, it’s all right. Let them in.” Yuuri sighed and pressed his hand to his forehead. He could already feel a headache starting. Phichit tucked the gun in the back of his pajama pants and opened the door. 

In stepped one of the hotel guards and behind him was Victor. The teenager was pale, his body shaking like a leaf. There was a smaller figure in his arms bundled in Yuuri’s old hoodie. Victor’s hair stuck out at different places, and he was barefoot. 

“Sir,” the man called to him. 

Yuuri felt as if he was going to be sick seeing Victor looking so upset and out of sorts. Victor’s eyes fell on him, and he tried to step forward, but the man yanked him back by the arm and barked at him. “Stay right here.” 

“Yuuri!” Victor’s voice trembled, and Yuuri winced as he looked to Phichit. His best friend had the door propped open as he tipped his head to the side curiously. 

_I promised I would wait until morning but…”_

“He’s under my protection. Please treat him kindly like you would myself or Phichit.” The man let go of Victor and nodded. 

“If you need anything, please let us know,” the muscular man replied as he let go of Victor. Phichit smiled and grabbed his own bill fold pulling out some rubles. He tucked them into the man’s coat pocket and patted it. 

“If you wouldn’t mind sending up more towels and also sending someone with our laundry right now we’d appreciate it,” Phichit requested with a wink. The older security man narrowed his eyes on Phichit taking the money from his pocket. He counted it and nodded to Phichit shutting the door behind him. 

When the man was gone, Victor’s legs gave out from under him as he sank down. “I didn’t think he was going to let us in. When I mentioned your name, he got a little angry.” 

“Well, that’s to be expected, but you’re here now. You’re safe.” Yuuri approached him and knelt in front of Victor. 

Victor pulled the hoodie back, and inside was the same child in the photo: Yuri Plisetsky. 

“So it’s true, you kidnapped him.” Victor stiffened and his head shot up as he curled his arms around Yuri a little tighter. The young boy squirmed and turned his face to the side burying it into Victor’s chest, his breath coming in pants. 

His face was flushed and Victor’s lip trembled. “I didn’t know what to do. Yuri’s never gotten this sick before. He hasn’t be conscious, and I was really worried about him.” 

Yuuri turned and nodded to Phichit who moved through the hotel room turning on the lights. Grabbing his phone, his best friend moved towards the bathroom, already dialing a number as he shut himself in the bathroom. 

“Let’s get him into bed.” Yuuri opened his arms to Victor motioning to the young boy in his arms. 

Victor made a face and scrunched up his nose, reluctant to hand the young teen over to him. Yuuri scooted closer to him and gently wrapped his arms around the small blond. “Victor, let go.” 

Victor jumped and let his arms loosen enough for Yuuri to pick up the young teen and stand up. Tipping his head towards Phichit’s bed, Yuuri looked to Victor. “Can you pull back the covers? I can’t do it without setting him down.” 

Victor scurried to comply. The boy in Yuuri’s arms was so thin. Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek as Victor sat on the bed, wrapping his arms around himself.

Grabbing the phone, Yuuri pulled it to his ear. The phone rang and Victor’s arm shot out. “Yuuri! No please. I promise I’ll explain everything.” 

The teenager’s voice wobbled as he held onto Yuuri’s arm. 

“Front Desk, how may I assist you?” The woman at the front desk greeted far too cheerfully for 3:30 in the morning. Yuuri turned and narrowed his eyes on Victor. The young silver haired man let his arm go and sank back to the bed, eyes trained hard on the floor. 

“This is Katsuki. Do you think you can have someone bring up a first aid kit, bandages, and a couple of bottles of lemonade?” Yuuri kept his eyes on Victor who blinked and looked up at him warily. 

“Sir, we don’t have anything extensive like you’re asking for.” The woman sounded hesitant and apologetic, her voice sounding more tentative. They knew who he was and who he worked for after all. 

“Can you make an exception and send someone out? There is a store around the corner, right? I promise I’ll tip well.” Yuuri asked quietly. 

“Please hold,” the woman spoke and quickly put him on hold. 

Whoever she must have been talking to had obviously told her he was to get anything he wanted. She came back on the line. “T-thank you for holding, Mr. Katsuki. As you have requested, we can bring up everything you need within twenty minutes due to the snow.” 

“Thank you, that’s fine. Whoever is going out, please let them know to be careful.” Yuuri hung up the phone and turned to look at Victor. 

Victor looked up at him. “You aren’t turning me in?” 

“Not right now. I think there is more than meets the eye in your police records, but now is not the time. We can talk about it once Yuri is doing better,” Yuuri answered. Victor blinked and watched Yuuri as he moved towards the computer and turned it on. 

Victor watched him as he moved around the room ducking into his closet. “Take off your clothes, Victor.” 

Victor blinked. “Excuse me?” 

“Take off your clothes. Your feet need the most attention, but we need to make sure you’ll be alright.” Yuuri explained as he tossed a large sleeping shirt at the young man. Victor looked down at the t-shirt in his hands. 

Slowly he pulled off his shirt and tugged on the shirt. Yuuri turned towards the door as Phichit let himself out from the bathroom. Victor blinked and stared at Phichit, cheeks flushed as he shoved his pants down his legs. 

“Well, this is awkward.” Phichit smiled slightly though it didn’t really reach his eyes. 

“He walked here barefoot in the snow. His clothes were soaked.” Yuuri shrugged. 

“Did you call someone to take care of his feet and the other one’s fever?” Phichit moved towards the young Yuri, smoothing his hair out of his face with a frown.

“I asked the front desk to send someone out to get us supplies and some lemonade. They both probably need it.” Yuuri informed Phichit as he tipped his head up and motioned for Victor to lean back against the headboard of the bed. 

“Good job. You might be good at this parenting thing yet!” Phichit joked as he stood up and grabbed a water bottle sitting himself on the side of Yuuri’s bed. 

Turning back to Yuuri, Phichit motioned to the young Yuri. “Hey, come help me take the hoodie off so I can wipe him down. I’m sure he’s sweaty and feels gross.” 

Yuuri stood up and moved to help his friend gently pull the hoodie off. The young teen barely opened his eyes and shoved at them making a noise at the back of his throat. Yuuri winced and spoke softly. “Yuri. Please, we just want to help you.” 

The young blond opened his eyes and huffed as he squirmed, but he stopped fighting them. They were able to get the hoodie off, and Phichit left and returned with warm water in a bowl and a washcloth. 

Phichit smiled at Yuuri. “I’ll take care of this one, and you tend to the other, okay?” 

Yuuri nodded and turned away from Phichit and Yuri to look back at Victor. The other young boy was sitting on his bed, back against the headboard, feet under the covers. “I’m sure that it won’t be long, and I’ll be able to tend to your feet. We just have to wait for front desk to bring up the supplies.” 

Victor nodded and curled up more into himself, eyes shut. 

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

“Speaking of, there they are.” Phichit called in a sing-song voice, over his shoulder. 

Yuuri stood up, unlatched the door and opened it. 

He had expected the front desk or concierge, not Yakov Feltsman and an equally looking annoyed gentleman with him. 

Yakov held up the supplies and Yuuri took them and stepped out of the way. “Yakov…” 

“Chulanont called me and said there were sick children who had come to you for help.” Yakov explained as he looked around the room and frowned. He narrowed his eyes on Victor, and then over towards the smaller Yuri. With a jerk of his head, the older man moved towards Phichit and Yuri first. 

Yuuri pulled out a chair and cleaned off some of the desk for Yakov to have some room. 

“Are we going to talk about your blatant disregard of my advice, Yura?” Yakov groused as he tapped his fingers on the desk. A shiver ran down Yuuri’s spine as he pulled out the bandages and then the extra-strength acetaminophen from the bag. 

Phichit grabbed the gatorades still in the bag and put them in the mini-fridge for later. 

“I can’t leave it alone, Yakov. I understand how it looks but-” Yuuri started. 

Yakov held his hand up and cut him off. “I know what it is, and what it looks like. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. You’ve decided to walk down a difficult path, and I think you’ll understand later. Definitely not now, but sometime in the future.” 

Yuuri nodded stiffly and Yakov waved him off. “Tend to the children. The man I brought is our private doctor that Mila and Georgi are seen by. He’ll be able to send a prescription for both if that’s needed.” 

“Victor’s feet may be frostbitten. That’s why I was asking for bandages and the pain medicine,” Yuuri finished quietly. 

Yakov turned towards Victor, eyeing him quietly. 

Whatever he saw must have been enough as he turned away from Yuuri and motioned for the wireless phone. Yuuri took it off the cradle and handed it to him. Yakov pressed it up against his ear. “Yes. This is Yakov Feltsman. Have your best vodka sent up with four glasses. Also, cook up an entire platter of appetizers. I expect service to be prompt. Also send up the manager.” 

With his orders given out, Yakov ended the call and tossed the phone back to Yuuri. 

Victor sat on the bed, eyes wide and face pale. 

Yuuri knew why. 

Yakov Feltsman was a name that belonged to the most influential crime boss in the area. Victor living on the streets had probably heard whispers of his name from all sorts of people. Yuuri’s heart ached for him. 

“Yura, what has your family said about what you are thinking of doing for him?” Yakov asked as Yuuri sat on the edge of his bed, shielding Victor from view for the moment. 

“They said that they trust my judgement.” 

“I think you’re crazy,” Yakov supplied helpfully as he leaned over to glare once more at Victor. Yuuri could feel the bed shaking underneath him, and he turned to look at Victor. 

Victor was staring at Yakov with wild eyes, his arms clasped around his knees and chin tucked into the top of them. “Yuuri. No…” 

“No?” Yakov intoned.His lips quirked up into a small smirk. 

There was a knock on the door and Yuuri stood to open it. Three people entered, one server from the bar quickly scurried in with a tray and started to set up on the paperwork on the table. Yuuri winced and frowned. Hopefully nothing was compromised, but he wouldn’t know until later. 

Another man came in with the four glasses and set them up beside the food and presented the vodka to Yakov. The old man nodded. “This will do.” 

The last person was the manager, a young woman who was trembling like a leaf. “Mr. Feltsman, to what do we owe the pleasure?” 

“This is a good establishment. This is why my young protégé is staying with you. He has had some unfortunate circumstances pop up and will need to move to your suite at the top floor of the hotel,” Yakov informed her. 

The woman chanced a glance at Yuuri, and Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up. 

“I do believe the suite is available. When should they move?” The young woman asked quietly. 

“I would appreciate it if it was now. These two men are very important and do not need to be mingling with sick children. Is that understood?” Yakov tapped his fingers on the edge of the table. 

“Yes, sir. We will send our staff up to move all their belongings up to the presidential suite.” She lowered her head and quickly turned on her heel and left. 

Yuuri pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll have to tip them very well for all of this.” 

Yakov cleared his throat. “And what about me?” 

Yuuri sighed and brushed his hair out of his face. “I think we owe you some more time for free on the contract. You’ve helped a lot tonight. I think if I talk with Mari I can extend our stay for another six weeks.” 

“Ah, Mila would be overjoyed. That puts you coming to her announcement party like she wanted.” Yakov chuckled. 

_Of course. That’s why you were so quick to come out._

“We should move the children and finish their treatments in the new room,” the doctor stated. Phichit nodded and wrapped Yuri up in one of the blankets. The young man squirmed but wrapped his arms around Phichit’s neck. 

The woman came back and quickly led them to the elevator and up to the presidential suite without a fuss. Another man came back and packed the food for them as Yuuri and a few others on night staff packed up all their belongings. 

Yuuri made a mental note that he and Phichit would come back for everything they didn’t absolutely need right now. 

Yakov waited by the door as the last of their items were hauled out and Yuuri held two computer bags and several files in his hands. Yakov eyed the work. “Since you have had a chaotic evening, I will let you work from the hotel until further notice.” 

Yuuri nodded and squeezed the straps on the computer bags a little more tight than necessary. “Thanks. I’m not sure where to go from here.” 

Yakov patted his shoulder as they waited for the elevator. 

The ride up the elevator and the walk to the suite was a short one as there were only two large suites on the top floor by the looks of the lack of doors or numbers there. Yuuri passed the young manager who didn’t meet their eyes and scurried back down the way she had come. 

It was easy to figure out what room they were in from the loud indignant screeching echoing down the hallway. Yuuri and Yakov exchanged glances, and the head of the Bratva sighed. “Are you sure you want to do this? We could have them escorted out and put into child care for you.” 

Yuuri winced. “No, it should be fine.” 

Yuuri pushed the door open and stepped inside holding it open for Yakov. The older man looked around and took a deep breath. “Much better place. I’ll leave my card at the desk and take care of your expenses since you’ll be staying much longer.” 

If Yakov hadn’t of been there, Yuuri would have been so out of sorts in such a big room. They had a living room that opened up into a bar and kitchen. There was also three or four different rooms that you had to step down a few stairs to get to. 

Phichit peeked his head out of the brightly light bathroom. “Oh Yuuri, there you are!” 

Yuuri held up their laptops, and Phichit stepped into the doorway. “Why don’t you set up our work space on the breakfast table. We still have the dining room table to eat at.” 

Phichit seemed no worse for the wear, but his shirt was almost completely soaked. 

Yuuri raised his eyebrow and tipped his head towards the shirt. Phichit fisted the wet fabric in his hands. “The kitten woke up naked and in lukewarm water. He must be feeling a little better though!” 

“That’s good.” Yuuri flinched as he heard the doctor speak in very halted aggressive tones. 

The noise died down, and Phichit looked in on them and then back to Yuuri and Yakov. “Oh! I had them set up the food on the counter in the kitchen. The vodka and glasses are in the sitting room.” 

Phichit bounced up three tiny stairs and moved into another bedroom. It must have been where the kids would be staying. 

Yakov looked around the room and nodded to himself. “I will have groceries delivered tomorrow.” 

Yuuri frowned. “Yakov that’s too much. I doubt just six weeks will pay back all of this. I feel bad enough that you came out at such a late time in the evening.”

“While the doctor finishes with the little ones, let’s snack and drink.” Yakov ordered as he sank into the plush cushions of the couch with a tired groan. 

Yuuri jumped up to follow his request.

 

It was 4:30 by the time everything truly wound down. Yakov hummed thoughtfully and picked at one of the cheese sticks that was left over. Phichit was dozing and Yuuri held his glass of vodka, nursing it as he eyed the clock on the wall. 

The doctor finally came out of the room, and Yuuri poured him a glass. 

“Thank you for coming to see them on no notice,” Yuuri smiled sheepishly as the doctor eyed the vodka and gently plucked it out of his hand. He grabbed one of the pizza bagels and popped it into his mouth chasing it with the vodka. 

Yuuri felt his gut twist. 

“What is the diagnosis?” Yakov asked, voice thick with exhaustion. 

“The blond has bronchitis, the flu, and sinusitis. He needs antibiotics for that. He is also very malnourished and needs to be brought up to an acceptable weight, there is a protein drink he should start once he feels better that might help with that,” the doctor droned. 

“And Victor?” Yuuri pressed. 

“His feet are going to be okay. The young man is lucky that you made him get out of his wet clothing and into your bed. He is also malnourished and has a cold. I will prescribe them both medication and send them tomorrow with Mila and Georgi.” The doctor finished as he knocked back the rest of his alcohol. 

“Is there anything else we need to do? Anything with their diets?” Yuuri asked. 

“Yes. I think that before they have any rich foods, it would be better to build up their nutrition. I am hardly a nutritionist, but I am sure Yakov is in contact with one.” The doctor’s lips turned up at the corners. 

Phichit rubbed at his eyes. “No pizza for dinner tomorrow. Got it.” 

“Both of you get some rest and figure out a schedule. With children around things tend to get muddled.” Yakov sighed and rubbed at his eyes. 

Yuuri nodded and was about to say something when he noticed Victor standing on his bandaged feet, hands gripping the hem of his shirt. 

His attention immediately went to the young man. “Victor.” 

Hesitantly, Victor stepped up the stairs and shuffled to stand i between Yuuri and Yakov. Phichit raised an eyebrow and Yuuri blinked. “Victor, what are you doing?” 

Yakov studied the young man for a moment and stood up with a snort. “Do you need a glass of vodka, too?” 

“I’ll come work for you.” Victor’s voice is soft, almost so soft that Yuuri hadn’t heard the words. 

Yakov raised an eyebrow. “What?” 

“I’ll come work for you to pay off our debts. Please don’t drag Yuuri into the Bratva. He’s too nice to help you,” Victor explained, his voice shaking and his arms trembling as he blocked Yuuri from view. 

Yakov stared at him and smirked. “Oh, you’d come work for me, would you?” 

The doctor and Yakov exchanged looks and grins. Yuuri stood up with a sigh and gently put his hand on Victor’s shoulder. “I think you’re misunderstanding here. I’ve worked with Yakov for years, Victor.” 

“Do you think out of the goodness of my heart I would bring my personal doctor for just anyone?” Yakov barked out a laugh and shook his head. Yuuri gently eased down Victor’s arms as he stepped around him. 

Victor sank to the couch next to Phichit as Yuuri moved about cleaning plates up in the process. 

“What do you do for him, Yuuri?” Victor sounded so hesitant and lost. He paused for a second and opened his mouth to answer. 

“You don’t need to know that. Watch your questions, da?” Yakov answered before he can say anything himself. Yuuri was half grateful that Yakov stopped the questions before they could even start. It was too late to get into a conversation about the Bratva and his actual job. 

“It’s time for us to go. Yuuri, the six weeks extension of the contract will be just fine. If you need anything further let me know. I’ll let Georgi and Mila come tomorrow with the medicine.” Yakov turned on his heel and marched out with the doctor slowly following behind. 

“Oh, and Victor? If you cause trouble for Yuuri and Phichit you’ll regret it,” Yakov promised.

Once the door shut, all the tension leaked out of Yuuri, and he fell back against the couch with a sigh. “Six more weeks.” 

“Six weeks? I was looking forward to going home,” Phichit whined. 

“I’m sorry,” Victor rasped. 

Yuuri sighed and patted the other on the leg. “Don’t worry about it. Things happen like this, and Yakov was being really lenient. He could have taken compensation, but all he’s asking for is more time.” 

Clapping his hands together, Phichit stood up and motioned to the bedrooms. “Okay, I don’t know about you two, but it’s almost morning. I’m tired and want to sleep.” 

Yuuri stretched and nodded standing up. “Sounds good.” 

“Why?” Victor asked, not looking at Yuuri his eyes glaring at the floor. 

“Hm?” Yuuri blinked and turned to look at Victor. 

“Why are you working with the Bratva? You are a good man, Yuuri. You don’t need to work with them!” Victor looked up at him, nose scrunched, and hands gripping into the cushions by his legs. 

“Yuuri? A good man? No, he’s good to _you_. He’s a demon to everyone else.” Phichit called as he started to switch off all the lights in the main room. 

Yuuri sighed. “Not helping Phichit.” 

“Well, it’s true!” Phichit defended as he turned out another light. 

Yuuri turned to look at the young man. He looked tired and sick to his stomach all at the same time. “Go to bed, Victor. Check on Yuri and we can talk more in the morning.” 

Victor slowly rose from the couch and limped back down the small set of steps and into the room. He shut and locked the door behind him. Phichit shuffled over and grabbed Yuuri by the wrist. “You knew that he would be upset when he found out.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Yuuri mumbled. 

“Come on. Let’s go to bed.” Phichit tugged him away from the sitting area and into their own room. Yuuri was asleep even before his head hit the pillow.


	10. Chapter 10

Yuri awoke with a headache and cottonmouth, burying his head under his pillow with a grimace. 

Phichit yawned and rolled over, kicking one of his legs between Yuuri’s. 

“You’re warm,” Yuuri grumbled as he shoved at the Phichit’s shoulder. 

“Too early to be up,” Phichit groused, half smacking Yuuri on the shoulder. 

“No, we need to get up. We need to figure out our schedules and report to Mari and Yakov both.” Yuuri whined as he shoved himself up onto his hands and knees. Sliding off the bed, Yuuri picked up the phone and rang the front desk. 

“Front desk. How may I assist you?” The young man that answered sounded less than impressed to be talking to him. 

“Yes, I need some chicken soup and porridge sent up. Enough for four people, and also some tea and jam,” Yuuri requested. 

“Yes sir, we will take care of it.” The man sounded a little more relieved after he heard the request. Yuuri couldn’t blame them. They had probably had a lot to talk about between management and the staff because of last night. 

A pang of guilt shot through him. 

_Lots of people were inconvenienced because of what I wanted._

He could make it up to Yakov and Phichit, but he didn’t think he could make it up to the staff. 

“Did you just order soup and porridge and tea for breakfast?” Phichit asked, his voice muffled from under the pillow. 

“Go back to sleep, I’ll go ahead and get things all set up again and check on Victor and Yuri.” Yuuri shook his head with a small smile. Phichit grunted and curled up. It wasn’t two seconds before Yuuri heard Phichit’s breathing even out, and he moved stiffly out of the room and up the stairs into the living room. 

The rest of the suite was quiet as Yuuri stumbled up the stairs and into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and sat down at the small kitchen bar, allowing his brain to slowly wake up. 

Nursing his glass of water few a few more minutes, when he was sure he was steady footed enough to go about his day he explored the area. Taking time to look around and orient himself, Yuuri moved from room to room. There was a small business office to the left of the door. The living room and kitchen shared a common area, and there was a formal dining room off of the kitchen to the right, and outside of the kitchen was a balcony. 

There were no bathrooms in the main area, but there had been one in their room, and obviously there would be one in the other room where Yuri and Victor were. 

Grabbing the laptops and paperwork, he spread out their papers and placed their laptops on opposite ends of the table. The chairs were way better, and there was more room for everything they needed. 

Yuuri plugged in both laptops and turned them both on. 

He fiddled with the area and the placement of their work supplies until he heard a knock on the door. Moving to the door, he opened it and one of the restaurant workers wheeled in the cart. 

“Where would you like the meal? At the bar or?” The young woman asked with a small smile. 

“On the table is fine, thanks.” Yuuri nodded to her and watched over her as she set the table and placed everything on it. Once she was done, he signed the receipt and tipped her generously. 

Looking at the tip, she blinked and blushed. “Sir, this is too much.” 

“No it’s not. Thank you for putting everything on the table.” She smiled and moved out of the room with her cart, looking just a little more lively. 

That tip had probably made her day. 

Now with breakfast set, Yuuri meandered down the steps and tossed open the door to his and Phichit’s room. “Breakfast is here and ready. Our laptops are set up and all our files are where we need them.” 

Phichit sighed and made a soft noise as he slowly rolled over and pushed himself out of bed. “Thanks.” 

“Normally you’re the one to take care of me,” Yuuri teased as he moved back through the doorway. He looked at the closed door near theirs and bit his lower lip. 

_Are you going to be afraid to talk to him now just because he knows?_

Yuuri stared hard at the door.

 _If he can’t accept this, then you can’t help. If he refuses to let you help, then you have to respect his wishes._

Reaching up, Yuuri rapped his knuckles on the door. 

No answer. 

Gently he wrapped his fingers around the handle and turned it slightly. 

It was locked. 

Yuuri sighed and knocked again. “Victor? I have some soup for you and Yuri to eat. It’s set up in the kitchen okay? There is also tea and jam.” 

No answer. 

Yuuri winced and sighed. “There was a reason you reached out to me. I want to help, but I can’t do that if you won’t talk to me. Please come out and eat.” 

“Having trouble in paradise?” Phichit asked leaning against against the door frame next to him.

“He probably hates me now. Not that I blame him.” Yuuri shrugged and moved away from the door. 

“If they don’t want to eat, you don’t need to force them. If he’s going to be a brat and keep himself and a sick teen holed up, then that’s his business. Leave him to his, and we will take care of ours.” Phichit nudged Yuuri and motioned to the kitchen. 

“We don’t have any business today.” Yuuri pointed out gently. 

“We always have business. You need to contact Mari and tell her the good news,” Phichit teased. 

“She’s going to be disappointed.” Yuuri ran his hand through his hair and looked down at the carpet as Phichit steered him away from the bedrooms and into the dining area. 

“She is, but at least it’s six weeks and not six months.” Phichit rasped as he plopped himself down into the dining room chair and grabbed the large bowl of porridge passing it to Yuuri after he had served himself a piping hot bowl. Seeing the jelly, Phichit grabbed a spoon full and plopped it into his bowl. 

Yuuri scrunched up his nose. “Doesn’t that make it too sweet?” 

Phichit hummed and winked. “Nothing is as sweet as me.” 

Yuuri groaned and slid down his chair. “Not so early in the morning please. I can’t take it.” 

\---

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Phichit babbled filling the silence as Yuuri tried to force himself to take bites of the porridge. Normally this was something he enjoyed eating in the morning, but it just tasted like cardboard. 

“Well, why don’t we go ahead and get ready to call Mari today? Then we can go over a schedule and divide the work Yakov will have for us and then we can see who is babysitting when,” Phichit suggested. 

“I’ll also have to either cut our vacation short in Hasetsu, or I’ll have to push back my time table,” Yuuri whispered to himself quietly. 

“I think we both know which one Mari and you both prefer.” Phichit nodded as he reached for the teapot and poured himself some tea. 

“Before that I’m going to try and take them some soup.” Yuuri stood up and wandered into the kitchen. He found two bowls and quietly brought them to the table and carefully ladled out the soup. 

Phichit watched him quietly as he shook his head. “I would let them come out when they are hungry.” 

“People who feel threatened usually do not come out until they are in dire straits. We also need to make sure that Yuri eats or the medicine will be rough on his stomach,” Yuuri explained as he picked up both bowls of soup and shuffled out of the dining room and to the bedroom doors again. 

Gently, he reached out with his foot and kicked the door slightly. “Victor? I have some soup for you and Yuri. I had room service bring it up because the doctor said you shouldn’t eat rich food right now. Both of you need to eat.” 

Lowering himself down, he placed the bowls on the floor with spoons on a napkin beside them. 

“If you need anything, please let us know. We will be in the business office on a call, but you can just come on in if you want.” 

No answer. 

Standing up, Yuuri moved back into the dining hall and picked up the teapot in one hand and his empty cup in another. Phichit stared at him. “Is he still ignoring you?” 

Yuuri shrugged. “Guess I deserve it for not being the good person he thought I was.” 

Phichit rolled his eyes and picked up his tea cup. “Housekeeping will take care of the dishes. Let’s go into the business room and get some work done.” 

Yuuri carefully carried the tea and the teapot with them to the room. For once, they wouldn’t have to shuffle around papers. Phichit sat down his cup and bounced in his chair with a grin. “The chairs are so much better than the stupid desk chairs in our other rooms.” 

Yuuri sat down his cup, poured some tea into it, and let the mellow flavor calm him as he put his password into the computer. “Yeah, I was thinking about buying us chairs.” 

“Where would you have kept them when we were done here?” Phichit asked with a small snort as he rolled the chair around to where Yuuri sat. 

“I would have left them with Yakov,” Yuuri answered with a small smile. 

Checking the time on the computer, it was now 10:36 A.M. That meant that roughly the time in Hasetsu was about 4:36 P.M. Dinner would just be started and maybe if there weren’t many people staying in the inn, then his sister would be free. 

Phichit nudged his shoulder. “Quit stalling. The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to be for you.” 

Yuuri nodded with a grimace and connected to Skype. He pressed Mari’s name, and in no time at all the line showed connected. Mari’s face popped up on the video, her face uncharacteristically showing her annoyance for once. 

“Is this important, Yuuri? Dinner is just about to start, and Mom needs help.” 

“Sorry, I’ll make it quick,” Yuuri winced and his sister did the same. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you, things have just been busy here. We had a bus load of guests show up without reservations so it’s been touch and go-” 

Yuuri held up his hand. “I should be the one apologizing, but, really, this will be quick.” 

“What’s up?” Mari asked, watching him over the line. 

“We are staying another six weeks in Russia with Yakov and the Feltsman Bratva. There were a few complications.” 

“I hope he is paying you well for him to keep you off vacation for so long.” Mari narrowed her eyes. 

“It’s nothing like that. You remember that young man I told you about? He showed up last night after walking barefoot in the snow carrying another teenager. Both of them are very sick so Phichit told Yakov-” 

“And Yakov came running to help,” Mari finished. 

Yuuri nodded and averted his eyes. He could almost feel the hard stare his sister had on the camera. 

“That means that instead of three months with the family you’ll only have a month and a half to make up for the time,” Mari concluded. Yuuri nodded. 

Mari’s lips twitched down as she shook her head. “Mom and dad are going to be sad to hear it, but if Yakov helped out that much we do owe him the extra time. Just make sure that those kids don’t cause you to lose all your time with us. We do miss having you around little brother.” 

“I want to bring them back to Hasetsu with me when Phichit and I come back.” 

Mari squinted at him. “This was what you wanted from the start, wasn’t it?” 

Yuuri nodded. “I looked at Victor’s background, and I think for him especially that starting over in a different country will give him opportunities he can’t have here in Russia. Yuri is young enough he can still build something for himself if he has the opportunity to do it.” 

Mari tipped her head to the side. “I’ll consider it. I’ll talk to mom and dad and see what they say. Nurse them back to health and at the end of the six weeks we will see where they are and if they will become a liability.” 

“It was so cute, Mari! Victor stood up to Yakov and told him that Yuuri was a good man and he would pay off their debt so Yuuri wasn’t indebted to them,” Phichit spoke up with a small grin. 

Mari’s lips turned up into a smile. “Did he now? That’s really sweet of him.” 

Yuuri leaned back in his chair. “That was everything we had to report for now. Tell mom and dad I said hello and that I love them.” 

“Will do. Talk to you soon. Oh and Phichit, I’m rerouting some more internet work for you both to take a load off of Minako since you won’t be on vacation just yet,” Mari called out. Phichit whined as Mari waved and the feed cut off. 

“Six weeks,” Yuuri grumbled and pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes. 

“Six more weeks and we are getting it from both ends now.” Phichit sighed. 

“Okay, before we can start work properly again, we should probably look at the meetings and our schedules to see when we can juggle the kids.” Yuuri pulled up his and Phichit’s combined schedule. 

Looking over the next week, he pointed to a few spots. “I’m going to stay in here, here and here.” 

Phichit nodded. “Those meetings are tech team more than anything so I’ll be gone, here and here, but that night I am free when you have that party you have to attend with Mila and Georgi as their third wheel…”

“This day one of us has to go to Moscow and do the mediation between Ivgeni and Boris...again.” Phichit hummed and Yuuri shook his head. 

“Let’s just go week by week for now. So today we will stay in and work on the e-mails and finalizing the schedule for the week to send to Yakov.” Yuuri sat back in his chair satisfied with everything so far. 

“Okay, so do you want to shower now or later?” Phichit asked as he scooted the computer chair back to the other side of the table. 

“I’ll go take mine right now.” Yuuri stood up and stretched his arms over his head. 

On his way back to their room, Yuuri paused on the last step and looked over at the door. Both the bowls and spoons were gone, and the door was still shut. Yuuri’s lips quirked up into a smile and his chest felt a little lighter. 

_It’s a step in the right direction._


	11. Chapter 11

It was another few hours of work before Yuuri and Phichit looked up from their work. Yuuri’s stomach growled and Phichit leaned back with a grin. “Lunch time?” 

Yuuri gripped his temples with his thumb and middle finger, squeezing slightly. Focusing in on the small clock at the top right of his laptop, Yuuri grimaced. “It’s a little past lunch.” 

Phichit winced in agreement. “Yes, more like dinner time.” 

_What about the kids?_

Yuuri pushed himself away from the desk and stood up. “I should probably go check on Victor and Yuri.” 

“You should leave them alone until they come out and talk,” Phichit called after him. 

Grabbing the doorknob in hand, Yuuri tugged open the door, and Victor stumbled into the room. Surprised, Yuuri stumbled back and landed on the ground with Victor almost on top of him. 

“Yuuri!” Phichit moved swiftly around the table. 

Yuuri winced and touched the back of his head. He had smacked the edge of the table and already felt a smart bump rising against his fingers. Victor squirmed and sat up on his hands and knees. 

Phichit knelt down and gently eased Yuuri away from the table and up onto his feet. “Let me look at it.” 

Victor sat still, eyes on the ground. Yuuri sighed and waved Phichit away. His best friend stopped his fussing as Yuuri slowly knelt down and offered his hand to Victor. “Are you okay? I didn’t know you were there or I wouldn’t have opened the door so fast.” 

No answer. 

Victor’s cheeks flushed as he looked down at the ground and squirmed slightly under Yuuri’s gaze. Yuuri continued to quietly stare at young man as Victor bit his lower lip. “It wasn’t important. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt. Please don’t punish me.” 

_Please don’t punish me…_

The words reverberated in his skull and stunned Yuuri. He lowered his hand and sat on the floor in front of Victor. “No one is going to punish you here. That’s not the kind of people we are.” 

Victor slowly looked up at him and then quickly away. “But you work in the mafia. The other people in the Bratva around here aren’t nice to us. Why should you be any different?”

“Phichit, will you get some soup for Victor and Yuri, and then get something for us? You can use one of my cards.” Phichit nodded and stepped around them as he wandered out to the main living room. 

Yuuri sighed and shifted forward a little. “Hey, look at me.” 

Victor turned his eyes back on him. 

“Have I ever done anything to you that has made you feel unsafe or in danger?” Yuuri asked quietly. 

Victor slowly shook his head. 

“Would you have really come to my hotel room in the middle of the night with Yuri, a child that you’ve been accused of kidnapping, if you didn’t think I would help?” Yuuri pressed. 

Victor shook his head again. 

“Then why does it matter so much that I work for Yakov? Has Yakov ever personally hurt you?” Yuuri continued. 

“No but -” Victor tried. 

Yuuri shook his head and slowly stood up and offered his hand again to Victor. “Come on. Let’s get you up off the floor. I was coming to apologize to you and Yuri. Phichit and I got lost in work and schedule changes this afternoon. We don’t normally eat when that happens so when it happens again feel free to come knock on the door and let us know.” 

Victor reached out and twined his fingers with Yuuri’s letting the older man help him up. 

“While you are out let me look at your feet, and we can talk about some of the things that I read in the file I had pulled on you.” Yuuri wandered into the living room and motioned for Victor to sit down on the couch. The teenage flopped onto it with a sigh as he crossed his arms over himself. 

Yuuri sat down next to him and patted his lap. Victor turned and slowly lifted his legs into Yuuri’s lap. “You had a file pulled on me? Is that why you asked for my name?” 

The young man looked sheepish and played with his hands as Yuuri slowly unwound the bandages from his feet. His feet looked battered and bruised, but all in all, there were no blisters, and while the skin was an angry red, it could have been worse. 

Reaching for the medical kit that had been left from the early morning hours, Yuuri grabbed some new bandages and gently re-wrapped Victor’s feet. “Why did you want a file on me?” 

Yuuri carefully wound the bandages around the other’s delicate feet, “Because I wanted to help you. After the last time I saw you with a bruise on your face and you told me you weren’t my responsibility,” Yuuri paused. “I wanted to do more for you.” 

“Well, did I meet your standards?” Victor leaned back against the arm of the couch, tipping his head back. Yuuri sank into the couch allowing Victor’s feet to stay in his lap. He gently brushed his fingers over the bandages thoughtfully. 

“I saw some things I expected. I saw some things I didn’t, but I also read between the lines for my job, and Phichit and I agreed that the assault on the foster care worker had abuse written all over it. Also, the kidnapping must have had something to do with Yuri.” 

“Stop. Please don’t ask about that. It’s not something I can really explain,” Victor whispered, shifting himself and his feet as he turned his face away. 

“It’s okay. I figured that someone who stuck around and was honest about pickpocketing and also that didn’t put up a fight and got bruised like you had you’re not violent.” Yuuri squeezed the other’s foot gently. Victor squirmed again and said nothing. 

“The reason I had to look up your past was to make sure that I would be able to help without you compromising my job,” Yuuri informed him quietly. 

Victor raised both eyebrows and turned his face back towards Yuuri, his fingers running over the black leather of the couch. “Your job?” 

“Yeah. I can’t tell you much about what I do, but I have a lot of people that I work with and that count on me. I can’t let you or Yuri, no matter how much I want to help you both, become an obstacle. Their lives depend on my job. Countless lives do.” Yuuri sighed and leaned back, letting his eyes stare at the ceiling. 

It was hard to admit that he was backed up against a wall sometimes. All the expectation, and here he was- 

His chest suddenly felt tight. His hand gently gripped Victor’s leg as he took a shuddering breath. 

“Yuuri?” Victor sat up. 

Yuuri shook his head and turned his eyes back onto Victor. “It’s okay.” 

Victor’s eyes widened as he slowly eased his legs off Yuuri’s lap. Yuuri winced and pressed a fist against his chest and tried to take slow breaths. His vision swam for a moment, and he heard the muffled thump of feet as Phichit suddenly blinked into his view. 

“-ri? Breathe with me. Come on Yu-” 

Phichit grabbed his hands and pressed them to his chest. “Breathe in with me and out. That’s good. Breathe in. Out. In. Out.” 

Victor sat on the couch, and Yuuri turned his face to him. “Are you okay?” 

“Of course you’d be worried about anyone but yourself,” Phichit grumbled as he squeezed Yuuri’s wrists encouragingly. Yuuri turned back and gave his best friend a small smile. 

“Are you okay?” Victor asked, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“He’ll be okay. He just needs to quit pushing himself,” Phichit answered as he stood up and patted Yuuri on the shoulder. 

“I ordered sandwiches for us. I figured that would be okay for you. The kids have soups like the doctor ordered, and I also talked to Mila and Georgi. They said the snow has been bad, or they would have been in with the medications for Yuri and Victor.” Yuuri nodded as he listened. 

“Yuuri….” 

Yuuri turned to look at Victor with a small grimace. “Not such a big scary person, am I?” 

Phichit snorted and sat down in the arm chair. “Panic attacks don’t detract from how fearsome you are. We’ve been over this.” 

Victor chewed his lip. “Where do Yuri and I fit into all of this? Your job sounds dangerous, and it doesn’t sound like you’ll be in Russia for much longer.” 

“Actually! We will be. Yakov has extended our contract for six more weeks.” Phichit interjected as he picked up the remote and clicked on the flatscreen. Victor winced, and Yuuri waved off the worried look on his face. 

“We will be here long enough to make sure that you and Yuri are taken care of and brought back to full health. Phichit and I will be taking turns watching over you,” Yuuri answered as he pulled his legs up onto the couch. 

“I think we can watch ourselves,” Victor argued with a frown. 

“You seem like the curious type. If you stick your nose into our work, you could possibly see some things that you aren’t supposed to. If you do, then Yuuri would be in a bad position,” Phichit added as he flipped through the channels. 

“What happens after the six weeks?” Victor asked, worrying his lip between his teeth. 

“Then I’ll talk to my sister and see where the chips fall. Either way you’ll be taken care of.” Yuuri yawned and rubbed at his eyes. 

“What does that even mean?” Victor asked, his voice colored with a bit of tension. 

“What it means is that if you get along with Yuuri and I, and you and Yuri behave, we might take you with us to live with Yuuri’s family in Hasetsu.” Phichit hummed eyes lighting up, his head whipping around towards Yuuri. 

“Look! They have the King and the Skater.” Yuuri’s lips turned up as he nodded. 

Victor stared hard at Yuuri. “And you’re just okay adopting two teenagers?” 

Yuuri shrugged, “Depends on if you want the help and the second chance. I can help you have something I doubt you’d be able to find in your current situation.” 

Victor frowned. “How much is this going to cost?” 

Yuuri smiled. “It’s free as long as you acknowledge you need the help.” 

Victor squinted and frowned. “You really are weird.” 

Yuuri shrugged and Phichit tipped back his head and laughed. 

\----

The rest of the night went smoothly after dinner was ordered. Victor and Phichit had eaten rather quickly and gone back into the bedroom to check on Yuri. 

Yuuri settled onto the couch, his eyes heavy as he listened to the sounds floating out of the television. Yuuri felt his consciousness slip but was thrust back rudely by a loud knock at the door. Yuuri launched himself off the couch, and turned to stare at the door. 

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. 

Yuuri rubbed at his eyes and stumbled to the door, wrenching it open. 

“Hi!” Mila waved and Georgi nodded to Yuuri. 

“Hey,” Yuuri murmured, rubbing at his eyes. 

“Sorry it took us so long. We had a couple of errands to run beforehand, and then the snow made us a little later.” Mila and Georgi moved inside and Yuuri shut the door behind them. 

“It’s okay, Yuri has been sleeping most of the day, and Victor’s cold hasn’t gotten any worse.” 

Georgi handed the sack he had wrapped around his arm to Yuuri. “All the medications have been labeled for each of the boys. Yakov said to let him know the next time you have time for a meeting. He needs you to go on a small business trip with him.” 

“After Yuri and Victor are doing a little bit better, then I’ll go.” 

“I told him you would say that.” Mila hummed and moved around looking at the room, eyes taking in the spacious area. Yuuri watched her walk around with a small grin on his lips. 

“Yakov did well in getting you to change rooms.” Mila appraised the area. 

“Make yourselves at home, are you hungry? We have a little bit left over from dinner,” Yuuri offered. 

“We ate before we came.” Georgi sat down on the couch. 

Holding up the bag, Yuuri turned and moved towards the partially open door to Victor and Yuri’s room. He rapped his knuckles against the door, and after a few moments Phichit poked his head out. 

“Mila and Georgi brought the medicine.” Yuuri held up the bag. 

Phichit grinned and leaned over Yuuri’s shoulder., “Thank you! I’ll be out in a minute after little Yuri takes his medicine.” 

“Can you make sure that Victor takes his as well?” 

Phichit grinned. “I won’t have to worry about him I’m sure.” 

Before Yuuri could say anything, Phichit winked at him and disappeared back into the room. 

Mila grinned and sat in the chair. “Do you think we will get to meet them soon?” 

Yuuri turned around. “Hm?” 

“The two children you’ve adopted,” Georgi clarified. 

“Oh. I don’t think you’ll see Yuri, but I think that maybe Victor will come out sooner or later.” Yuuri moved to sit down in the second chair opposite the couch. 

“So you really have adopted them?” Mila turned her eyes on him.

“Well, it might actually happen if Victor and Yuri want the help. Once we leave to go back to Hasetsu, they will come with us.” Yuuri tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. 

“Which, by the way, is after my announcement party.” Mila grinned and leaned forward, tucking some of her fiery hair behind her ear. Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek and nodded slightly.  
“That means that you will be joining us for the party.” Georgi looked up from where he was punching in notes to his phone. 

Mila nodded and Yuuri smiled slightly. “Of course. I think Yakov definitely had that in mind when we agreed we would stay. So I’ll be around to support you.” 

“It means a lot that you’ll be there. You’re like a brother to me,” Mila confided. 

“I think that as well.” Georgi hummed as he went back to his emails. 

Yuuri felt his heart swell with the words. He might not have spent much time with them or in Russia, but the bonds they had were exactly why Yuuri had lived with them off and on for months as he grew up. 

To see all the work that his family and Yuuri had put into this alliance and keeping everyone evened out was wonderful. It made all the stress and panic attacks almost worth it in a way. 

“Yuuri?” 

Victor’s voice cut through the room. Yuuri looked up and smiled. Victor stood just at the edge of the living room in one of Yuuri’s shirts and not much else. Yuuri’s cheeks flushed as he made a soft noise at the back of his throat. 

“Oh _Yuuri_ , he’s beautiful!” Mila whispered in awe. 

Victor squirmed as Georgi looked up and Mila stood up moving towards him. 

“Mila,” Yuuri warned quietly. 

“Don’t worry, Yuuri. I’m not going to scare him.” Mila moved towards him and grabbed Victor’s hands gently tugging him along as she moved back around and pushed him to sit in the recliner. 

Victor sat down and Mila knelt in front of him. “Yakov told me about you.” 

Yuuri tensed as he saw Victor tense. Mila shook her head and gently squeezed Victor’s hands. “Anyone that Yuuri thinks is special enough to help makes me want to help too.” 

Victor bit his lower lip, and Yuuri shifted around to watch them. 

“You seem to know enough about me, but I know nothing about you.” Victor murmured as he gently peeled his hands away from Mila. 

“Oh! How rude of me. I’m Mila Babicheva, and that is my brother Georgi Popovich.” Mila lifted herself from the floor and sat next to Georgi. 

Georgi watched quietly, eyeing Victor his attention on the interaction. 

Victor blinked and nodded as he looked over to Yuuri before speaking. 

_Please don’t pick a fight._

“You don’t have the same last name?” Victor asked quietly. 

Mila and Georgi exchanged glances and then looked back at Victor, “Yakov’s wife couldn’t have children so they decided to adopt us.” 

“Doesn’t it bother you that you were adopted into a Bratva family?” Victor questioned. 

Mila shook her head. “Not at all. I was hungry and Yakov took me in and gave me things that I couldn’t have myself. He didn’t bring me in to be part of the Bratva, but I ended up deciding I wanted to help him, so…” 

“So you wanted to help out.” Victor finished for her. 

Yuuri watched the interactions. Mila and Georgi looked so at home, and Victor looked on edge. He kept his arms close to his chest, one of his fingers twirling the ends of his hair around it, tugging gently. 

“I always knew from day one when Yakov picked me and took me home that I would work hard and stay by Yakov’s side,” Georgi waxed poetic, with a small grin as he leaned back into the couch. 

Victor narrowed his eyes and looked down at the table, his finger pausing mid-twirl. 

Before anyone else could say anything there was a loud crash and indiscriminate yelling coming from the room. Georgi jumped up and looked to Yuuri. Yuuri stood up and put a hand on Victor’s shoulder, “Stay here I’m going to go check.” 

Without looking back, Yuuri quickly made his way to the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Yuuri poked his head into the room just as a cup hit off the wall, causing him to flinch. Thankfully, it was only a plastic cup and it clattered uselessly to the ground. 

Scooping the cup up, Yuuri stood back up and moved into the room. 

“Is everything all right?” 

In front of him Phichit was back against the wall, holding his arms in front of him. In one of his hands was a bottle of medicine, and in the other hand was a spoon. Yuri had taken the higher ground on the bed, standing in the middle of it with another cup in his hand. It would have been comical if it was happening in a movie, but of course this wasn’t a movie, and Yuuri had to do something about this situation. 

Phichit kept his hands in front of him and looked over at Yuuri. “Hey! Great timing. The little one is feeling a lot better, but apparently he didn’t remember Victor bringing him here or seeing the doctor.” 

“What the fuck?! Don’t talk about me like I’m not here!” the young blond snapped as he reached down to grab a pillow and launch it at Phichit. 

“Look! This medicine has your name on it! We just want you to get better,” Phichit cried out, blocking the pillow with his arms. 

Yuuri advanced into the room a few more steps. Yuri caught the movement in his peripheral and swung around. “Don’t come any closer!” 

Yuuri flinched as he ducked the second cup. It barely missed his head and hit the wall behind him. 

“Yuri, please listen to Phichit.” 

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Yuri snapped. 

“Yuuri, is everything okay? We heard a loud noise.” Mila poked her head in, and Yuuri stepped automatically in front of her. 

“Yuuri!” Mila cried out as she stepped up behind him to try and get an eye on what was going on. 

Mila’s appearance threw Yuri off just enough for Phichit to take a few steps forward. Yuri turned and glared at Phichit as he grabbed the pillow and swung it at the smaller man. Mila blinked and frowned as she stepped around Yuuri. “Hey! Don’t trample on the goodwill of others. You’re acting like a hissing kitten.” 

Yuri’s eyes widened, and he turned and waved the pillow at her. “What do you know about any of this?! Keep your mouth shut, you damn hag!” 

All movement stopped. 

Mila’s eyes widened. Yuuri flinched and Phichit turned to look at Yuri and then back at Mila. 

“A hag, huh?” Mila smiled and moved slowly towards Yuri, her hips swinging as she moved across the carpet. 

Yuri narrowed his eyes and brandished the pillow. 

Mila reached out and caught it. 

“Do you want to repeat that?” Mila asked, words sweet as she tugged on the pillow. Yuri was caught off guard by the tug and he stumbled on the bed. When he lost his footing, he stumbled towards Mila. She let go of the pillow and grabbed Yuri hoisting him above her head. 

Yuri squawked and squirmed in her hands. “Put me down!” 

“What? I couldn’t hear you.” Mila called up at him. 

“What the hell are you on?!” Yuri growled out as he tried to get some sort of the edge. 

Mila slowly turned to Phichit. “Go ahead.” 

Phichit blinked and fumbled with the medicine opening the bottle and pouring some onto the spoon. Approaching Mila, he nodded to her and she hefted Yuri on the bed. “See just like a kitten, you pick him up and put him back down without any problems!” 

When Yuri sat up and opened his mouth to retort, Phichit shoved the spoon into his mouth. 

The teens’s face paled as he gagged down the medicine, his hand going up to his throat as he groaned and flopped back onto the bed. 

Yuuri sighed and leaned back against the wall. 

“Mila,” Georgi called out from the door. Victor peeked in and scooted around everyone towards the young man. 

“What? He said some things that I wanted him to repeat.” Mila smiled at her brother as she stepped out of Victor’s way. 

Yuri glared from the bed, and Yuuri pinched the bridge of his nose. “Come on, let’s all let Yuri rest.” 

“I’ll stay with him for a moment,” Victor muttered as he sat down on his bed and shook his head. 

Yuuri nodded and held his breath as he stepped out of the room after Mila, Georgi, and Phichit, leaving the younger boys to themselves and shutting the door behind him. He didn’t miss the small smirk on Victor’s lips as he checked his companion over. 

\----

“It’s getting a bit late. We should probably head out.” Georgi checked his watch and tipped his head towards the door. Mila turned to look at the clock on the wall and frowned, looking back at Yuuri. 

Yuuri shook his head slightly and smiled. “Don’t worry about those two. Victor will look after Yuri and hopefully get him to take his medicine a bit easier.” 

“Is there anything more you want us to help with?” Mila asked quietly as they walked to the door. 

“Yes, the next time you have some time off, I’d like you and Georgi to take Victor out to get some proper clothing. For the weather outside I haven’t seen him wear warm clothing.” Yuuri pulled out his cell phone. 

Georgi and Mila took out their own phones and Phichit slid close to Yuuri to check the schedule. 

“Since he’s still recovering from a cold, let’s give it three days?” Mila tapped on her own schedule. 

Georgi snorted. “You just want to go out on a Saturday.” 

Mila showed Georgi her phone. “It says you have a date that evening, so I think we can fit in some shopping with Victor.” 

“Oh! If it’s Saturday then I can go ahead and go with you Mila so Georgi doesn’t have to.” Phichit pointed at the schedule and looked to Yuuri. 

“I think that’s a good idea. I’ll give you my card when you go with them,” Yuuri agreed. 

“Good! Saturday we’ll come pick him up. Anything special you need him to have?” Mila took out her stylus and opened her notes up. 

“Just some good clothing that will last him a while. It can be designer or whatever someone his age might like,” Yuuri informed Mila as she jotted down some notes on her phone. 

“Perfect. I’ll take him to all my favorite shops. Also, we’ll go out for a good breakfast or brunch beforehand.” Mila smiled and tapped her stylus on the screen of her phone, putting the stylus into the bottom of the cellphone and tucking it into the pocket of her jacket. 

“Okay, we really should go.” Georgi urged Mila. 

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “You act like we have a curfew.” 

Georgi narrowed his eyes at her. “Speak for yourself. I have a meeting early in the morning.” 

Yuuri opened the door and let them out, shutting the door behind them. 

“There has been so much excitement these past few days,” Phichit spoke up as he stretched his arms over his head and wandered towards the bedroom. Yuuri locked the door and followed at a much slower pace. 

“That’s definitely true.” Yuuri slowly wandered into the bedroom. 

“It used to be just us, and now we have two teenagers that we are sharing space with.” Phichit bounced onto the bed and laid back against the comforter. 

“We don’t have time to rest. We’ve done enough resting today.” Yuuri sighed, rubbing his hands through his hair as he sat next to Phichit. 

Phichit groaned and swatted at his thigh. “We might have almost been done had things not gone sideways.” 

Yuuri felt a twinge of regret. “I’m sorry, Phichit. I know how much you were looking forward to going back and resting in Hasetsu until we had to be in Seoul.” 

“Oh no! Yuuri, please don’t think I’m upset.” Phichit popped up and reached out cupping Yuuri’s cheeks. Yuuri felt his cheeks heat up, and he tried to direct his eyes elsewhere. It was better than looking him in the eye. 

“But aren’t you?” Yuuri mumbled.

Phichit shook his head. “Yuuri look at me.” 

Warily, Yuuri locked his eyes with Phichit. Peering into his closest friend’s eyes, Phichit smiled and nodded. “There. See? Do I look mad?” 

“Even if you were mad you wouldn’t tell me because you think I’d have a panic attack,” Yuuri muttered with a frown. Phichit rolled his eyes and pulled Yuuri against his side. Phichit smelled like fresh laundry as always. Yuuri rested his cheek against his shoulder. 

“You know if I was truly against this, we wouldn’t have found anything on Victor. I wouldn’t have worked as hard as I did if I didn’t believe in what you wanted to do.” Phichit stroked Yuuri’s cheek with the side of his finger. 

“I know that. I _really_ know that, but-”

“Your anxiety,” Phichit supplied helpfully. 

Yuuri nodded, his eyes sliding shut. “Yeah, it's not the easiest thing to live with. It tells me things that I know aren’t true. I can tell myself that logically this isn’t true, but then there is always a little part of me that speaks louder than the rest of me.” 

“But that’s why I am here. I am going to be louder than that little voice, and I’m good at helping you out in other ways too.” Phichit wrapped his arms around his best friend. 

Yuuri let himself take comfort in the radiating warmth of his friend. 

Weariness filled him up and threatened to weigh down his limbs even more than they already felt. Phichit chuckled. “Why don’t you go shower then come back to bed? I have a few more things Mari asked me to look into, and I’ll come join you later.” 

“I’m sure there are things I need to be doing too.” Yuuri forced his eyes open and Phichit shook his head. 

“No, I made sure that all your work was done this afternoon. You’ve been cleared on the schedule since dinner. Tonight is my turn to work solo.” Phichit squeezed Yuuri around the waist and slowly stood up. 

“How long do you think it’ll be?” Yuuri rubbed the back of his neck and yawned as he looked towards the large bathroom. 

“Probably another hour if I sit down and focus. Maybe less depending on my distractions,” Phichit teased as he moved towards the living room. 

“I’ll try and wait up,” Yuuri offered. 

“Don’t do that for me. Just relax yourself. We have a long six weeks ahead of us, and I have a feeling that Yakov is going to work us to the bone.” Phichit called over his shoulder as he shut the door to the bedroom behind him, leaving Yuuri in the room by himself. 

Walking in the bathroom, Yuuri held his breath. 

He hadn’t had proper time to look at it in all the hustle and bustle the last two days. He had drug himself inside only to brush his teeth and put on deodorant before he had totally woken up to order their breakfast. 

Now that he had time to study his surroundings, Yuuri was a little off put. 

The bathroom was an actual _room_. 

The bathroom was decorated in something looked almost like a combination of wood and stone. It had the color of the wood and the texture of stone. Pressing his hand to the wall, Yuuri tugged it away almost immediately. 

_Cold to the touch._

Straight across from the entrance of the bathroom was the vanity. The mirror was huge with dim lighting that light up the frame. On the counter was a sink for him and then one next to it where Phichit had put all his products and his tooth paste. There was a small portion of wall that blocked the sinks from the large walk in shower that had two shower heads facing each other. 

On the wall near the glass door of the shower were several folded towels on a high towel rack and below it drawers that held the washcloths and shower mats. Next to Yuuri and closest to the door was a large tub that looked like it could easily fit two or three people in it comfortably. 

“I don’t want to know how much Yakov is paying for this,” Yuuri muttered as he tugged off his shirt and tossed it to the floor to gather up later for laundry. He made quick work of his clothing and slid into the shower. 

Picking the shower head to the left, Yuuri turned the water on and let the water cascade down his body. 

Despite having Victor where he could help him, Yuuri felt a buzzing of restlessness underneath his skin. 

_This hasn’t blown up in my face yet. I’m still waiting for something to go wrong._

Shoving the thoughts away from the forefront of his mind, Yuuri focused on dragging the soap across his skin and washing off the grime from the last two days. 

“Things just need to find a routine and settle down,” Yuuri whispered to himself as he turned off the water.


	13. Chapter 13

It didn’t take any time for Yuuri to throw on a pair of boxers and shuffle into the room. In the other room, Phichit and Yuuri had separate beds, but in the suite there had only been one. Instead of requesting them to change the room around, Yuuri and Phichit had fallen into bed together without complaint. 

The bed had a feather topper and felt comfortable against his skin. 

When he had woken up, he had barely registered his best friend was sharing the bed until his brain had sparked to life, so there wasn’t a problem there. 

Nuzzling his face into his pillow, Yuuri felt himself fall into a light doze as he tried to stay awake for Phichit. 

The room was completely dark when Yuuri next opened his eyes. 

Someone had come into the bedroom, removed his glasses from his face, and had covered him up. Yuuri let his eyes flutter shut again as he felt his consciousness sliding further and further away from him. 

He was almost back asleep when he heard the door open and shut with a quiet click. 

Shifting onto his back, Yuuri slowly opened his eyes. “Phichit?” 

“No. It’s me.” Victor’s voice suddenly slapped him awake. 

Blinking a few times, Yuuri rubbed at his eyes and shifted over. The young man stood on the other side of the bed. His hair was down around his shoulders and framed his face. 

“Victor? Is everything okay? Is Yuri okay?” Yuuri sat up, and Victor slowly climbed onto the bed, sinking into the covers. The shirt he wore hung off his frame and slid down his arms as he crawled over to Yuuri’s side of the bed. 

“Everything’s fine.” Victor hummed as he slid his fingers over the thick comforter, bunching it up between his fingers. The scent of roses hit Yuuri’s nose. Normally, it was an overpowering scent, but whatever Victor wore was light, almost enticing. 

“Then why are you here?” Yuuri heard himself ask. It was a great question to ask as the teen slowly slid over his lap and straddled him. 

_What?_

“Because I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for Yuri and I,” Victor purred, and Yuuri felt his heart jump into his throat. 

“Victor-” 

Victor pressed his finger to Yuuri’s lips. “Stop. I want to.” 

“Victor, I-” Yuuri shuddered as Victor scooted forward, his hips resting him over Yuuri’s crotch. 

“Come on, Yuuri.” Victor’s lips were inches from his, and before Yuuri could do anything, Victor wound his arms over Yuuri’s shoulders, curling one of his slender hands into the hair on the nape of his neck. 

A jolt of arousal tore through Yuuri as he shut his eyes tightly, turning his face away from Victor. 

“Yuuri…” Victor called to him, his lips against Yuuri’s earlobe. 

Victor began to rock his hips up and down, a soft gasp leaving his lips. Yuuri’s body jolted as his hands clenched into the bedding, his head tipped back. 

“Don’t you want this too? I know that you can’t expect nothing in return for all you’ve done.” Victor’s tongue traced the shell of his ear as he spoke softly. HIs fingers stroked the nape of Yuuri’s neck.

Yuuri shut his eyes tightly. 

This wasn’t happening. 

How could this have happened? 

_No. You have to stop this. If you don’t, you’re just like all those gross men._

Reaching up, Yuuri grabbed Victor’s arms and pulled them away from his neck as he leaned away from Victor’s questing lips and words. Yuuri shoved Victor back with enough force to knock him off balance and dislodge him from his lap. 

Clicking the lamp on, Yuuri took in the sight before him. 

Victor was sprawled on his back, cheeks flushed and his eyes wide. He didn’t move, and Yuuri slowly squirmed off the bed. “Are you done?” 

Victor pushed himself up. “Yuuri-” 

“Are you done?” Yuuri snapped with more power than he felt like he had in the situation. He needed to get a handle on things before they were shattered beyond repair. 

Before _he_ was shattered. 

Victor gathered himself up and turned to face Yuuri. Yuuri sighed and pressed his hands over his face. “Look Victor. I don’t know what I did to give you the impression that I would-that we would- but no, I am not interested.” 

Silence. 

“Do you think I’m ugly?” Victor’s voice held a tremble of something Yuuri couldn’t put his finger on. 

Slowly, Yuuri pulled his hands off his face and looked at the young man studying him. “You’re beautiful.” 

“Then why are you pushing me away?” Victor asked, brushing his hair behind his shoulders. His fingers trembled as he tucked a few strands behind his ear, and he didn’t look up at Yuuri. 

“I want to help you make something of yourself. You haven’t had a lot of help, and if I were to let you go through with this, then it would have cheapened anything else I could do for you.” Yuuri sighed as Victor jumped off the bed and shuffled up to him, arms crossed over his chest. 

“So that’s it. You’re really doing this because you want to?” Victor asked, his eyes fixed on Yuuri’s chest. 

“How many times do I have to tell you that for you to accept it?” Yuuri asked as he leaned against the side of the bed. 

“Keep saying it,” Victor grumbled and turned away from Yuuri, stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind him. 

Yuuri slumped against the side of the bed and shook his head. Not five seconds later, Phichit opened the door to their shared room. “Yuuri? Is everything okay. I heard the door slam?” 

“Things may be a little more complicated than I first thought.” Yuuri shot his best friend a rueful smile. 

\-----

After things had settled down again, Yuuri crawled in bed next to Phichit and curled up on his side. Even with his body feeling as if it was being weighed down, his mind was light and kept jumping from thought to thought, putting Yuuri in that small sliver between both wakefulness and sleep. 

_Victor…_

His mind kept helpfully supplying his body with sensations. 

It was almost as if Victor had never slid off his lap. The pressure of the young man’s body in his lap and the way his knees had squeezed the outside of his hips forced a huff out of Yuuri as he flopped onto his back and pressed the back of his arm against his forehead.

Phichit’s even breathing did nothing to cover the sound of his heart pulsing in his ears. 

Without his glasses on, Yuuri squinted and tried to focus on the dark ceiling above himself. 

_Don’t you think I’m beautiful?_

There was no doubt that Yuuri thought that about Victor. He knew it and chose to push it to the back of his mind. Forcing himself to close his eyes, Yuuri turned his back to Phichit, arm reaching up under his pillow, fingers gripping at the top of it. He kicked one leg towards the end of the bed and sighed, keeping his eyes tightly shut. 

_How much of that was misplaced gratitude?_

The thought came unbidden into Yuuri’s thoughts. The silence in the room was oppressive, and his thoughts weren’t leaving him alone. 

_He’s a kid, he doesn’t understand what he wants yet._

Yuuri squirmed and bunched his toes into the cool sheets below him as he shifted again. 

“Yuuri?” Phichit’s voice was thick and raspy. 

“Sorry,sorry,” Yuuri whispered back at his friend as he pulled his knees towards his chest, giving up on keeping his eyes forced shut. He let his eyes wander. The red light coming from the digital clock on the nightstand was out of focus without his glasses on. 

“Why are you apologizing?” Phichit scooted closer, pressing his chest to Yuuri’s back. 

“I don’t understand any of this. I don’t understand Victor and why he would -” 

“You’re thinking too much into it,” Phichit soothed, both his arms wrapping around Yuuri’s waist and chin resting on Yuuri’s shoulder. 

Yuuri tried to relax into his friend’s arms. 

“I know you think you aren’t but you are, Yuuri.” Phichit’s breath tickled against the skin of his neck, his lips brushing over the skin beneath them. The gentle contact was enough to make Yuuri’s breath hitch. Phichit hummed in response, brushing his lips over the juncture between Yuuri’s neck and shoulder. 

“You think so?” Yuuri asked quietly, his hands resting over Phichit’s. 

“He’s young. He doesn’t understand what he’s asking for. Just because he had to work the street to survive, doesn’t mean he realizes the ramifications of sleeping with someone you have an attachment to.” Phichit’s thumb stroked the skin above his belly button. 

An involuntary shudder ran down Yuuri’s spine as he squirmed. 

Phichit’s smiled against the side of his neck. Yuuri huffed out a breath and pressed himself back into his best friend’s warmth. His eyes slid shut as he allowed himself to be grounded by the soft intimate touch. 

“You mean, he doesn’t understand this,” Yuuri rasped softly. The only acknowledgement of contact was a soft hum from Phichit who touched his lips right underneath Yuuri’s jaw. 

“There are a lot of things he won’t understand,but that’s not your burden.” Phichit’s hand dipped below the waistband of his pajama pants. 

“He’s mad at me.” Yuuri shifted, his breath coming out in a soft exhale as Phichit’s fingers mapped out the planes of his lower abdomen. Yuuri could feel his face burning in the darkness. 

“He’ll learn in time. If he is really persistent, then turning him away now isn’t going to dissuade him.” Phichit slid his hand across his friend’s skin to his hip, easing down Yuuri’s pajama pants on one side. 

“I can’t,” Yuuri whispered. 

“You can, but you’re not.” Phichit brushed his hand over his other hip and lowered his pajama bottoms from the other side. Yuuri shivered as both Phichit’s hands gripped his hips and pulled him back against his front. 

“I feel disgusted with myself,” Yuuri confessed. 

Phichit’s fingers dug into his skin.

“Yuuri. You shouldn’t be. You didn’t let it happen.” Yuuri made a soft noise as he arched his back. 

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t affect me.” Yuuri tipped his head back into Phichit’s lips as he let his best friend’s hand come to rest between his legs. Yuuri was hard again. Since he’d been turned on earlier and hadn’t allowed himself the satisfaction of release, his member was quick to awaken to the gentle pressure Phichit touched him with. 

“You’re human. More importantly, you’re a human that needs to rest.” Phichit teased as he ghosted his fingertips lower and lower and then- 

Yuuri felt everything melt away as Phichit’s fingers wrapped around his cock. Slowly, his friend tugged at him with careful slow strokes. His fingers gently squeezed at him, pulling a soft moan from Yuuri.

“That’s good. Just relax into it.” Phichit kissed the back of his shoulder. 

“Phichit...Phichit...Ah-” 

Yuuri whimpered as his hips pushed up into his friend’s warm hand, his eyes shut and head tossed back as he shuddered. With the gentle touch of Phichit’s hand and each thrust of his hips, Yuuri couldn’t help the soft whimpers and sighs that came from his lips. His legs shifted and toes curled and feet flexed involuntarily. 

“Close...Phichit...A-a..” Yuuri whined as Phichit nipped at his jaw, his hand tightening just a little more earning him a hiss from Yuuri through clenched teeth. 

The pleasure that had nudged him just towards the side of bliss slammed into him knocking him over the edge. Yuuri gasped and shuddered, tensing as Phichit stroked him while he came. 

“There,” Phichit rumbled pleasantly as he kissed Yuuri’s cheek. 

Warily, Yuuri turned his head, lips parted as he reached up and pulled Phichit into a breathless kiss, content to share the same air with him as his body unwound and sank into a pleasant and numb place. 

“Now I definitely have to change again,” Yuuri mumbled. 

Phichit smiled and sat up. “Let me go get a wet washcloth.” 

By the time that Phichit had gone and come back with a cloth to clean him up with, Yuuri was already fast asleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The next few days ran together in a blur of activity for Yuuri and Phichit. They worked through all the material Mari continued to send, and Yuuri even had to field a Skype call with a very unhappy Minako. 

His old teacher had talked his ear off about how dangerous things could be with him taking in not one but two children. Even though she had reamed him for the time he had lost in staying in Russia for six more weeks, she was still pleased that he would be seeing some of the other people in the alliance at Mila’s announcement party. 

Since he was staying, requests for meetings started to steadily climb. 

“I don’t understand why we have to take all these meetings,” Phichit grumbled around the pencil clenched between his teeth as he punched in another meeting with the Triad.

Things were shaping up that Yuuri would have to have a small meeting of his own with all the younger heir apparents. 

“If we aren’t careful, we will have to do everything aside from taste testing the food,” Phichit complained. 

Yuuri shook his head and chuckled. “You know this is their way of punishing me. I’m sorry you got dragged into it.” 

Phichit rolled his eyes and chunked the pencil Yuuri’s way., “No, this is just because you’re good at what you do.” 

“You can’t prove it.” Yuuri held up his hand. The pencil bounced harmlessly off his palm onto the floor. It rolled under the desk, and Phichit frowned as he dropped onto the floor to dig it out. 

“You are my best friend, but sometimes I want to hang you upside down by your toes,” Phichit muttered crawling back into his chair. 

A loud knock sounded at the door and Phichit perked up. “On that note, I have a date to go shopping.” 

Yuuri waved him off as he sunk back into his chair, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Have fun and don’t let Mila go too overboard.” 

“Hmm. What constitutes overboard to you?” Phichit grinned, shutting his laptop and swiping his phone off the table. 

“Try not to use a years worth of salary,” Yuuri ordered. 

“Yuuri. Take a break and come out in the living room with me.” Phichit grabbed his friend by the hand and tugged him from their small business room. Phichit bounced over to the door, and Mila moved inside with a smile. 

“Good morning, Mila,” Yuuri greeted as the redhead threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him tightly. 

“Good morning, Yuuri! As promised, I have come to take Victor out to get some clothes, and Phichit is going to also go with us to check our fashion.” Mila murmured against his shoulder. 

Yuuri wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you. I really owe you for this.” 

“Nonsense. Victor can’t be that much younger than I am, and you know how lonely it is growing up in this kind of a place.” Mila stepped back. 

Phichit looked around and back to Yuuri. “Speaking of Victor, where is he?” 

Yuuri motioned to the closed door. “In there. He knows you were coming, but I didn’t think he thought I was serious about shopping.” 

Mila smiled and without hesitating she moved to the door and opened it. She leaned into the room and greeted the two inside. “Good morning!” 

She bounced into the room, and after several seconds, she emerged pulling Victor behind her. The young man stumbled along as he was pulled, his hair all over the place. 

Yuuri turned to Phichit and dug a black card out of his wallet. “Here. Hair cut, new shoes, winter clothes, everything is fair game. Whatever he wants.” 

Phichit took his card in one hand and saluted with the other. “Yes captain!” 

Yuuri had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as a small smile played at his lips. “Bring him back in one piece, please.” 

Mila smiled and tugged Victor closer to Yuuri. Victor was wearing a baggy pair of pants held up by a belt and the hoodie that Yuuri had given to him when they first met. Something about seeing the teen in his hoodie made Yuuri smile just a little more. 

Victor looked down at the floor, his cheeks flushed. “You really don’t have to do this.” 

“It’s good for you. Besides it’s time to make sure that you look and feel good. Also, it will give us a chance to get to know each other. Maybe we can be friends.” Mila nudged him a bit. 

Victor looked up at Yuuri, his brow furrowed. Yuuri stepped up and pressed his hands to Victor’s shoulders. “Hey. This is all part of it. Don’t be shy, and go for the things you really want, okay? Don’t push yourself, but don’t come back empty handed either.” 

Phichit grinned and showed Victor the card, nearly sticking it into the teens face. “Do you see this card, Victor? This card is going to make all your dreams come true. The best part is you don’t have to pay a dime.” 

Victor bit his lower lip and Yuuri nodded. “Later you can show me all the new things you bought. If I didn’t have work and Yuri wasn’t sick, we would both be going along too.” 

“For Yuri, too?” Victor asked, raising both eyebrows. 

“Well, yeah. He needs clothing too, but he’s still sick so he has to stay with me and rest. I’ll check on him on my breaks,” Yuuri assured the young Russian. 

“Okay, but I’m not buying out the store.” Victor reluctantly moved with Phichit and Mila towards the door. 

“Have fun and relax,” Yuuri called out as all three people disappeared out into the hallway, the hotel room door sliding shut behind them. Turning back towards the meeting room, Yuuri sighed and steeled himself to answer another large batch of emails. 

\----

“What should we do first?” Mila asked as they waited for the elevator doors to open. 

Phichit grinned. “Well, we did say we would get brunch or something first. Then you’ll take us to the places where you and Georgi get your clothes.” 

Victor quietly walked alongside Mila, shooting the two people to the side of him quiet looks every so often as they chatted and stepped into the elevator. It was almost as if Victor were in a dream. 

It had felt that way ever since Yuuri had come into his life.

 _Who just picks a couple of kids off the street and decides to keep them?_

That was the biggest question. 

Victor wasn’t stupid. He also wasn’t the type of person to believe in others. He had learned that the hard way, but here he was, standing around with two virtual strangers all because they were connected to Yuuri. 

A pang of guilt ran through him as he thought about the other. 

He was alone working by himself so that Phichit and Mila could take him out and help him with his clothing. He was in the hotel room where if Yuri needed something, he would be able to provide for the young blond better than he ever could. 

The gratitude he felt was uplifting, yet it also shackled him and weighed him down in a way he had never experienced before. 

“Victor?” Mila’s voice startled him as he turned to look at her. 

Mila was definitely something. She stood there in a black leather jacket, a beautiful light pink blouse, tight jeans, and a pair of pink pumps. Her hair whipped around her face as they wandered outside. 

“Sorry. I was just looking around a little more. I haven’t been on this block in a while. It’s changed.” Victor motioned around him at the large shopping windows and beautiful cursive writing they were passing. 

“It really has. This area has really prospered. I think a lot of it has to do with the alliances that have strengthened. There are less problems between hot headed men and women.” Mila hummed as she slowed her steps and threaded her arms through of Victor’s. 

“I would say that’s at least a part of it, but from what Yuuri and I have seen the Russian people are really resilient,” Phichit piped up as he tapped on the screen of his phone and fell in step with Mila. 

“What do you feel like eating?” Mila asked squeezing one of Victor’s arms gently. 

He wasn’t hungry, but if he didn’t eat then that would definitely raise flags and would worry Yuuri. 

_Since when did the thought of displeasing one person become such a scary thing?_

This was all a dream. An illusion. 

At least that’s what Victor would keep telling himself. It was a dream that Yuuri had bumped into him and had given him enough money to get Yuri and himself food for two days. It was a dream that he had been angry when he had seen the bruises. 

When Victor woke up, Yuuri would be nothing but a pleasant dream that caused his heart to ache. 

_Run._

The urge was definitely there. He could disappear and push away everything that was happening now. 

“Ah! This is the place.” Mila tugged Victor after her as she opened the door and immediately entered. Phichit brought up the rear as the trio ended up in a nice modern restaurant. The chime on the door raised a few heads in their direction. 

Victor felt his cheeks flush as he tried to draw back, but Mila’s arm around his stopped him. 

“Hello!” Mila called as a young waitress with her hair pulled back in a bun bounced up to them with a wide smile. 

“Mila, it’s been a while,” The girl greeted. 

“Yes! I have a few friends with me, and I was wondering if you were still serving that delicious brunch?” Mila cocked her hip and nudged Victor’s with her own. 

The young girl looked at him and blushed. “Let me talk to the cook, but first let's get you seated. Do you want the usual seat?” 

“Of course. I want your best for my friend here.” Mila turned to Victor with a wink. 

_Why is she acting so friendly?_

“I know just the place!” The young woman led them back past the regular booths to another smaller sitting area in the back. While the front sitting area had been very modern and plain looking, the smaller area was gorgeous. Victor’s breath caught in his throat as he stared around the room. 

It was warmer than the other room, and at the edges of the room were lights that flooded the ceiling with a warm brightness. All around the room were large plants with budding flowers. Victor let Mila’s arm go as he moved towards the small budding plants. “How did they do this? These don’t normally come out in the parks until spring.” 

“We keep the temperature up here and the lighting just so that the plants think it’s spring,” the waitress explained as she and Mila exchanged smiles. 

There was a shutter click behind him, and Victor turned around. Phichit had his phone out and had the camera pointed in Victor’s direction. Looking up from the camera, Phichit grinned. “ I promised Yuuri I would take plenty of pictures of today so he could see them later.” 

Victor rolled his eyes and stood up. 

“I will consult with the cooks and tell him we have special guests.” With that the young woman stepped out of the room. Mila motioned to the table in the very middle of the room as she sat down. 

Victor followed suit and sat next to her and Phichit sat opposite him. 

“This place is pretty. I’ll definitely have to share this with Yuuri when he has time.” Phichit smiled as the waitress came back with a pitcher of orange juice and another of water. 

“Thank you.” Mila called after her as she turned and pressed her hands onto the table. 

Victor watched Mila and Phichit. 

It was hard to reconcile that the people across from him were part of the Bratva. Well, Mila was anyways. She was young and seemed so innocent. Phichit and Yuuri both seemed to have jobs they were contracted to do, but they didn’t act like normal gang or mafia members either. 

There was a weird nobility in their work. 

“You know, you don’t have to hold back around us,” Mila prompted, her eyes on Victor and lips drawn into a small smile. 

“I don’t understand what you mean.” Victor tapped his fingers on the top of the table, leg bouncing as he turned to take in more of the decoration in the room around them. 

“If there was something you want to know about Yuuri, you have literally the best person in the world sitting with us to talk to you about him,” Mila pointed out. 

Victor froze. 

_Am I that obvious?_

“Victor?” Mila called to him softly. 

Phichit took the pitcher of water and poured himself a glass, offering it to Mila who shook her head. He turned and looked to Victor with a small smile. “Want some?” 

“Yes. Please,” Victor rasped out, his face on fire. 

“You’re not the first person who has had a crush on the untouchable Yuuri Katsuki,” Mila shared as she grabbed the orange juice and poured it into her glass. 

Victor stopped breathing. 

“If you’re wondering if it’s obvious, it really is,” Phichit agreed as he took a sip of water. 

“It’s not like that,” Victor protested as he let his eyes drop to the top of the table. 

“Don’t worry. You aren’t the first person or the last that tried to put the moves on Yuuri. In fact, both Georgi and I had rather crazy crushes on him when we were younger.” Mila smirked over the lip of her glass. 

Victor choked on the sip of water he had just tried to swallow. Coughing, he hit his chest with his closed fist. “Excuse me?” 

“Oh?! I didn’t know that Mila.” Phichit turned to the young woman eyes wide. 

“Yeah, it’s not something Georgi or I go around telling everyone. Besides, poor Yuuri was so oblivious that when he brushed off Georgi that heartbroken young man swore off love and moped in his room until Yuuri went to America to stay with Leo.” Mila giggled as she shook her head. 

_Of course people like him. He’s perfect._

Victor scowled at his own thoughts as he took another drink of water. 

“You know Seung Gil has his eyes on Yuuri,” Phichit gossiped. Mila gasped. 

“Really? No wonder he changed his mind when I talked to him. He’s going to be at the announcement ceremony.” Mila whispered and took another sip of her orange juice. 

The waitress came back and placed jam, toast, and butter on the table. Phichit grabbed the jam in one hand and toast in the other. Victor half listened to them talk about some of the other people coming to the announcement party. 

“What announcement?” Victor finally asked as he reached for the jam and a piece of toast. Placing it on a small plate, copying Phichit, he opened the packet and used his knife to spread the jam onto the toast. The sweetness of the jam and the crunch of the toast surprised him, and Victor found himself munching avidly.

Mila and Phichit exchanged glances as she turned and looked at him. “Oh, I’m just announcing something that will bring a few families in the alliance closer. Nothing too exciting.” 

“Oh. So something for the Bratva,” Victor muttered around a mouthful of toast. 

“Shhhh!” Mila shushed him and shoved another piece of toast on his plate.


	15. Chapter 15

Yuuri sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The silence had been welcome for the first hour or so since the others had left. He _knew_ that Victor was in good hands with Mila and Phichit, but he couldn’t help but worry about what exactly they were talking about. 

The correspondence flowed easily at first, but then things started to slow down. 

His responses slowed, his thinking wandered. Yuuri stood up. 

“It’s time for a break.” 

Stretching his arms over his head, Yuuri looked up at the clock. The hand ticked around the face of the clock quietly, but Yuuri blinked and squinted. Turning to his laptop he frowned and confirmed the time. 

Phichit, Mila, and Victor had already been gone for two hours. 

His stomach rumbled and Yuuri touched it gingerly as he wandered from the office and towards the small phone on one of the side tables in the living room. Picking it up, he listened to it ring in his ear. 

“Front desk.” 

Yuuri smiled despite himself. “This is Katsuki. I was wondering if you could have a bowl of soup and a ham sandwich sent up?” 

“We’ll send that up right away.” The woman assured him. 

Since the others were out, he didn’t have to worry about feeding anyone except himself and Yuri. Flinching despite himself, Yuuri turned and stared at the door with a small grimace. He hadn’t had a reason to go in and check on the young blond himself yet, but he needed to eventually especially without Phichit or Victor there to do it themselves. 

After Mila had come in and all but manhandled him to take his medicine, Yuri had been more amenable to taking it, and since then he hadn’t freaked out. 

That left little reason for Yuuri to try and interact with his other charge. 

Instead of waiting around awkwardly for the food, Yuuri wandered into the kitchen and pulled out a tea kettle and a tin of leaves. Quietly, he put some leaves into the kettle and water and then put it on the stove to warm. 

Yuuri kept himself busy by gathering the trash and the laundry Phichit had left out in the bag for the housekeepers. He then made sure to grab all their towels and linen that needed cleaning. 

After about ten minutes of his mindless fussing, Yuuri heard a knock on the door. 

He let the room service person deliver the food and signed the receipt. 

Most people would have gone stir crazy at the lack of leaving a small space, but Yuuri felt at ease with not having to go out. He liked having the quiet and only a few familiar people in the immediate area. It gave him more control and made him certain that he could understand exactly what the people around him needed. 

_Maybe Phichit and Victor, but not Yuri._

Looking down at the container of soup, Yuuri sighed and grabbed a bowl and set the container inside the bowl. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door of Yuri and Victor’s room. 

No answer. 

Already, Yuuri felt like he made a mistake. He pursed his lips and knocked again before opening the door. Leaning in, he saw Yuri staring back at him, lips pursed and brow furrowed as he hugged a pillow to his chest. 

Yuuri raised an eyebrow at him and cleared his throat. “I thought you might be hungry, so I got you some chicken and rice soup. It’s something a little heartier, but I won’t tell the doctor if you won’t.” 

Yuri glared at him. “I’m tired of soup. When am I going to be able to eat something solid? Are you trying to kill me with all this shit soup?” 

Despite what he said, Yuri was not doing as bad as he had been. The color had returned to his pale skin, and he no longer looked like he was on death’s door. Victor had been watching over his condition and requesting anything the young teen might like. 

“This one has chicken and rice in it. If you feel up to it and you eat this for lunch, then I will see what we can do about getting you something good for dinner.” Yuuri eased his way past the door and moved to pick up a small tray they had brought to make eating a bit easier for Yuri to stay in the bedroom. 

“Why the fuck does everyone think I’m dying? It’s all your fault that Victor babies me even more than usual,” groused the teen as he scooted back against the headboard. Yuuri set the tray down on the bed. 

“You were so sick you forgot that you had been taken in by Phichit and I,” Yuuri reminded him gently. 

“Shut up! I wasn’t that bad,” Yuri growled at him as he kicked at Yuuri’s hip with the side of his foot under the covers. Yuuri held up his hands as the young man swiped his spoon off the tray and eyed the container with distaste, taking it out of the bowl and opening it. He poured the contents into the bowl and tossed the container onto the table next to him. 

The chicken and rice soup was hot enough that Yuuri could see the steam rising off the surface. The smell was so rich that he couldn’t help his stomach gurgling out in his own hunger. 

“How did you know I wanted a bowl for it?” Yuri grumbled as he stirred his plastic spoon through the slightly thickened soup. 

“Because I noticed that each time Victor came to get your soup he always snagged a bowl. I figured you must have wanted it.” 

Yuri squinted at him. “You are shady as fuck.” 

“Language.” 

“What do you care? I’m only here because I was brought to you by the teenager you want to bang,” Yuri bit out as he took a bite of the soup. 

He had said it so matter of factly that Yuuri felt as if he had been slapped so hard his head was spinning. Physical violence was one thing that Yuuri could endure and heal from. Words, however, dug deeper wounds. 

“It’s not like that. I didn’t take you two in because I wanted to use you both.” Yuuri stood up and moved to open the window. There wasn’t any sun, but even the grey sky illuminated the room in a more natural way. 

Yuri paused mid-bite to watch him. “I think you’re full of shit. If you think you can win me over and have me roll on my back for you, I’ll beat you to hell and back and take Victor with me as I leave you broken and bruised on the floor.” 

“I can tell you’re close with Victor. Both of you have had a hard life up until now. I just want to even the playing field a bit.” Yuuri sighed as he pressed his hand to the cold glass window. 

“You can fool Victor, but you can’t fool me,” Yuri snapped as he quietly ate his soup. Obviously, the other was hungrier than he let on. Yuuri turned and watched him for a few moments, arms crossed in front of his stomach. 

“You know that you aren’t just an add on,” Yuuri finally spoke. 

“Yeah right. You would have never looked my way had Victor not brought me with him. You know it. I know it. The sooner you acknowledge that, then maybe things will be easier for all of us.” Yuri didn’t look up from his soup. 

Yuuri frowned and shook his head. “When you’re done take the bowl to the kitchen. I’m going to go eat my sandwich.” 

Retreating quietly, Yuuri could feel Yuri’s eyes on the back of his neck as he scurried from the room. 

Of course Yuri had been a surprise, but that didn’t mean that Yuuri had thought for a second that he could send the young boy off on his own and keep Victor. It wasn’t even a situation where Victor would leave if Yuri wasn’t welcome. He had simply known from the time he had seen Yuri’s picture that there might be more pieces to the puzzle, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to help Yuri. He was obviously someone that Victor cared about enough to take with him when he had left the orphanage. 

Yuri was as much a part of their small odd group as Victor was. 

Sitting down at the table, Yuuri poked at the sandwich quietly taking one of the halves in both his hands. The first bite tasted like cardboard, but the next bite had a more pronounced flavor. 

_He’s right. You’re disgusting._

His mind was already playing against him again. Yuuri shook his head and took another bite, forcing himself to swallow it after a thorough chewing. Yuri’s words had gotten to him far worse than he had thought they had. 

 

Teens normally said things that they didn’t mean and that was the only consolation that Yuuri had in the situation. Had Victor even confided in Yuri what he had meant to do the other night to Yuuri? Did they think their continued stay here meant that Victor had to come to Yuuri and seduce him? 

It made sense. 

Yuuri sat the half eaten sandwich down and pressed both his hands to his forehead, closing his eyes. 

“I don’t want that. I don’t want to cheapen things between us like that. I want to help.” 

_But a small part of you still wanted to remove those covers and pull down -_

No. 

Yuuri took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. Shoving his chair back from the table, he stood up and shook his head. “I need to get back to work. If my work starts slipping then we all really will be in big trouble.” 

Without looking back at the table or the sandwich, Yuuri moved back to their workspace with purpose. He had to get his mind out of its funk. If he didn’t, it would just pull him under and they would soon be struggling to get anywhere. 

Yuuri may be hard on himself a majority of the time, but he was used to it. But he refused to let his low self worth bring anyone else down. 

Phichit doesn’t deserve that and neither does his mother, father, and Mari. Now that Victor and Yuri were apart of the people he needed to protect, he would have to make sure each move he made was perfect. 

“I can do this.” Yuuri sat down in front of his laptop and typed in his password hitting enter. 

“I can do this.” Yuuri repeated to himself. 

\----

Yuri took his time eating his soup. All the anger and spite that he normally felt at others had bled out and spewed onto the one person who held not only his fate but Victor’s in the palm of his hand. 

The other was more gentle than someone who probably should have been working in the Feltsman Bratva. But then again people tended to lie, and Yuri had seen it over and over again in his short life. 

He had seen what those lies did to Victor, and so even if Katsuki hadn’t done anything to prove he wasn’t just using Victor, there was no way that Katsuki could take in two teens. 

_He’s probably just biding his time until he can get rid of me._

The compassion, the food, the place to stay, all of it was a lie that would come out in the wash at some point. Yuuri would be just like all those gross people who had taken advantage of and exploited them. 

Taking a deep breath, he exited the room with the bowl firmly gripped in both hands as he padded into the kitchen. Yuuri was probably in the kitchen eating right now. 

At least he had said as much when he had left the room. Yuri waited for several moments before forcing his feet into motion. Stepping into the kitchen, Yuri turned toward the table and frowned. There was a sandwich and a cup of water but no Yuuri. Walking to the sink, Yuri rinsed out the bowl and put it on the other side to be washed, his eyes darting back to the sandwich. 

Rounding the counter, Yuri grabbed the plate and frowned at the sandwich. There were only two or three bites taken from of it. 

Annoyance curled in the pit of his stomach as he huffed. “You left to eat and only got three bites down? Are you trying to starve?” 

Had his words really affected the other that much? 

Yuri snorted and shook his head. 

Work. 

That’s all Yuuri seemed to do was work. He worked while others came and left, but that did seem to be what he was comfortable doing. Was it really that enjoyable to work all the time? 

Yuri grimaced and turned, moving to grab a bag from one of the drawers to put the sandwich in. 

When he was done, he settled down on the couch. 

Since they had come to stay with Yuuri and Phichit, Yuri had not really left his and Victor’s room. He had showered, taken his meals and even watched television all in their room. He was tired of being in there. 

If he didn’t leave, he was going to go crazy. 

The couch in the living room provided a comfortable compromise, and he also had a good way to watch Yuuri to see if he would emerge from their work room. The other probably wouldn’t, but Yuri was going to definitely make Yuuri keep his promise. 

“I’m not going to eat another bowl of soup as long as I live,” Yuri muttered. 

Then an idea struck him. He looked over to the phone and reached for it.


	16. Chapter 16

Brunch had gone off without a hitch once Yuuri faded from being the topic of conversation. Victor had never had so many different things for breakfast in one sitting. After the toast came crêpes, and then seasonal fruits. The last thing Victor had requested was a waffle with fresh blueberries and raspberries. 

The waitress had come in and out and was professional even for as weird as the conversations drifted. 

Mila finished off her glass of juice, setting the glass on the table with a small clack. “That was great as always.” 

Victor contemplated reaching for another of the remaining waffles. Phichit smiled at him. There was something he couldn’t quite place in his gaze. “You don’t have to continue to eat if you’re not hungry.” 

Pulling his hand away, Victor thought about it. He wasn’t really hungry, but the smaller voice inside him spoke up. 

_Eat as much as you can. You never know when you’ll have a luxury like this again._

Yuuri would probably make sure he had more meals like that. 

Mila nodded in agreement. “In fact, until Yuuri and Phichit leave maybe we can come here every Saturday. Next weekend, we should make sure that Yuri and Yuuri can both go.”

Victor felt himself smile. “That would be nice.” 

Mila reached into her wallet, pulling out her card. She handed it to the waitress. “My treat.” 

“Yuuri said that he would get everything today,” Phichit protested with no real strength. Victor rolled his eyes as Mila leaned away from him to sign the receipt and jot down a tip. 

“Okay, so let’s go to a few boutiques and then to a suit store!” Phichit called as he stood up and grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. Victor stood up and paused as he waited for the others to wander out so he could follow. 

Even though Mila and Phichit had done everything to make him feel welcome, Victor still felt a little bit out of his element. He knew they weren’t judging him, but the people around them must have been thinking things or commenting behind his back. 

“Victor?” Mila called back to him, reaching her hand out. 

He paused and then reached out, letting his fingers wrap around hers. Mila’s smile brightened a fraction as she tugged him closer. “Hey, do you need to take a break?” 

“Huh?” Victor turned to look at Phichit. 

“Yuuri wants us to all these things for you, but are they what you want?” Phichit explained. 

Victor blinked at Phichit. The other stared back at him, phone in one hand and the other buried in the pocket of his jacket. 

“What I want?” Victor repeated. 

Phichit nodded and Mila smiled. “Yuuri is a great person but Phichit’s right. He doesn’t do things in moderation sometimes. It’s either too much or nothing at all.” 

Yuuri was still someone that Victor couldn’t figure out, but Phichit knew Yuuri and so did Mila. This time was perfect for him to ask the questions he needed. 

“What does he expect from me by doing all this?” Victor asked as they meandered towards the front of the restaurant and then back onto the cold streets. Phichit pressed the edge of of his phone to his lips as he looked up at the grey sky. 

“Hmm. That’s something I’m still trying to figure out,” Phichit confessed. 

Oh. 

So not even Phichit knew what Yuuri wanted from Victor. 

“I can tell you that Yuuri is extremely protective of you. When Yakov asked him about you, he said he wanted to help and Yakov told him to leave you be. But he didn’t listen and here you are,” Mila answered as she tugged him down the street. 

Victor felt his cheeks heat up. 

“The question is, what exactly are you going to take from Yuuri? He’s going to offer you anything you need.” Phichit directed his thoughts to an overwhelming question. 

_What did he want to do?_

When had Victor woken up to find that he actually had a choice in where he would end up in life? With Yuuri’s help, whether he made something of himself or decided to stay where he was really was in his hands now. 

“Oh this is the first store that I thought would be good to take you.” Mila motioned to a store they arrived at after a good ten minutes of walking. 

Victor held his breath and looked up at the sign. 

_I won’t waste this. I won’t waste what he’s trying to do for me._

\-----

The rest of the day flew by for Yuuri as he stayed locked up in the business office. He had answered twenty five calls, thirty three emails, and had gotten two or three big proposals sent to his sister. 

The less he stopped, the less time his mind had to wander. If his thoughts didn’t wander, then he would be able to keep away the negative thoughts that were ready to pounce. 

He wanted to force himself to keep going, but suddenly there was a knock at the office door. 

Pushing himself away from the desk, Yuuri opened the door. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Yuri snarled. Yuuri took a step back in surprise. 

“Excuse me?” Yuuri stuttered. 

“Do you know how long you’ve been in here? Do you know how long it's been since you last ate?” Yuri prodded a finger into his chest. Yuuri held his ground and frowned at the younger man. 

“You hardly ate lunch, and then you promised me you would make sure I didn’t eat soup again,” Yuri pressed.

Oh. That was right. 

Yuuri sighed and pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. 

“Good thing I decided I was bored earlier.” Yuri grabbed the other by his wrist, tugging him towards the kitchen. The air smelled less sweet than the air freshener and more like someone had been cooking. 

“Duh. You left me to myself and I was bored. It’s not like I have anything really to go out in anyway. You would have had a conniption.” Yuri finally let go of Yuuri and motioned to the plate on the kitchen counter. 

Atop the plate was a large pile of piroshki. 

Yuuri felt a small bit of the tension in him ease. 

Yuri had made the food for them, and it looked like he had even made enough for Phichit and Victor for when they came back. For all the hiss and spit that Yuri used with others, he obviously had soft spot. 

“Well, aren’t you going to eat?” Yuri all but barked at Yuuri. 

Yuuri jumped and gave the other a tight lipped smile. “Yes, let me get a plate.” 

Easing himself around Yuri, he grabbed two plates pulling them out of the cupboard, pausing at the tell-tale sound of the door opening and slamming shut in the main room. 

“We’re home!” Phichit called out cheerfully over the cacophony of bags. 

Yuri raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. Yuuri shook his head and smiled reaching for three more plates. 

“In here Phichit!” Yuuri called over his shoulder. 

Phichit poked his head into the kitchen and grinned. “Smells great. I’m assuming though that this was not made by you.” 

“Do you think he poked his head out all day after he forced me to eat soup?” Yuri grumbled, shoving his hands into the pockets of his ratty jacket.

“Sounds like Yuuri.” Mila called out from the living room. 

Phichit wandered in and left a large wet smack on Yuuri’s cheek. Yuuri reached up and rubbed it off his face and onto Phichit’s jacket. His best friend gave him his best mock scowl. “Gross!” 

Yuuri shook his head and wiped his hands on his pants. “Maybe you shouldn’t do that if you don’t like spit on your clothes.” 

Phichit rolled his eyes and tugged Yuuri into the living room. “Come check out all these bags we came back with.” 

“Hopefully you came back with Victor,” Yuuri reminded him patiently. 

“That was one time I forgot to bring someone back with me. One time!” Phichit whined as he pulled Yuuri towards the living room. 

“Hey! Get your asses in here and eat!” ordered Yuri as he followed them. 

Yuuri blinked and stopped mid-stride. The couch, the living room, the whole living area was covered wall to wall with bags. They were all shapes, sizes, and colors and had different cursive writing on the sides of each. Some were pastel colors, some were just brown bags, and others still were grocery bags. 

Already, Yuuri felt his head start to throb just a bit. “How much did you spend?” 

“Oh! About that, Mila and I chipped in so we each spent about a thousand dollars a piece on this trip. That’s okay, right?” Phichit raised both his eyebrows. 

Yuri stepped to the side and whistled. “Does this mean when I’m better I get to go shopping, too?” 

Yuuri accepted the receipt from Phichit along with his card. “Of course.” 

Yuri balked. “Just like that.” 

Yuuri hummed and nodded turning to look at the younger Yuri. “Just like that.” 

“How much money do you people make?” Yuri choked out, shaking his head. 

Phichit, Mila, and Yuuri exchanged glances. “Tons. We just don’t normally get to spend it.” 

It was true. When you were working in the underbelly in a city, there was hardly any time to stop and grab things other than bare necessities. Yuuri had relied on gofers that Yakov and the other bosses utilized to get things for him when he needed them. Phichit sometimes went out of his way to help out in that aspect until the gofer knew what they preferred, but other than that it was always up to the pawns and gofers. 

“Wow. That’s so fucking cool.” 

Phichit reached up and ruffled Yuri’s hair as he moved into the kitchen. “We got you a few things too to keep you entertained while you stay with us.” 

“Seriously?” The excitement in the young blond’s voice was enough to make Yuuri smile. 

“Yeah, we got you a muzzle.” Mila quipped as she sashayed her way around all the men and moved to grab a plate for herself. 

Yuuri looked around and frowned when he didn’t see Victor. Looking over at Phichit, his friend motioned to the bedroom the young teens used. “He went in there to go ahead and change into something he picked out.” 

“Oh. I guess he’ll join us when he’s ready.” Yuuri let Phichit throw his arm around his shoulders and guide him back into the kitchen. 

“Is this it? If we don’t have sides with the piroski, then we’ll just be hungry later.” Mila explained as she pulled open the fridge. 

Yuuri was about to explain they hadn’t gotten around to ordering food, when she opened the door and whistled, looking over her shoulder. “There is so much in here! Let’s see. I’ll just make a quick side, and Phichit can do a salad.” 

Phichit moved to grab some fresh ingredients with a salute. “Yes, ma’am!” 

Yuri sat at one of the bar stools at the counter. “Better not take you losers too long or the piroski will get cold.” 

“Yes, mom.” Mila called at him with a small grin. 

Yuri snapped his teeth at her. 

Yuuri relaxed as he watched the others. This was what he had thought it would be like when he took Victor in. He listened to the others chatting amicably and throwing insults at each other as he leaned against the counter. 

“Is there anything I can help with?” Victor’s voice cut through the chatter. 

Yuri’s eyes went to him first and widened. “Woah. You look good.” 

Yuuri slowly turned to look at Victor as Mila and Phichit exchanged glances and a high five. The other stood in the kitchen in a pair of skinny jeans and a black sweater with white stripes. His hair was plated back into a braid with his bangs framing his face. 

“You do look good!” Phichit grinned as he pulled out a chopping board and started to cut up small tomatoes. 

“I told you he would look good in simple fashions!” He tossed out to Mila who nodded in agreement. 

“What do you think, Yuuri?” Victor asked quietly. 

Yuuri almost forgot to breathe. He let his eyes quickly wander over Victor. His skin looked well cared for and his over all appearance exuded a quiet confidence that he had known would come out in him. The clothing and the hair and face treatments had apparently helped him step into that confidence he so badly wanted Victor to feel. 

“You look great. Really.” Yuuri murmured, turning his eyes away from Victor after a second. 

“Victor come help me with making something to go with piroski!” Mila ordered as she waved at him with her free hand. 

“Sure!” Victor moved over and bumped his hip against hers. 

Apparently the bonding and shopping trip had been a success. 

“Oh! After dinner I will show you all the pictures we took today. It was so much fun! Also, Mila and I decided that every Saturday we are going to go eat together and have brunch until we head back to Hasetsu,” Phichit rambled as Victor helped him make a small side.

Yuuri nodded and moved to set the table. 

With everyone helping, the table was set, the food was prepared, and everyone was sitting together in no time. Phichit had placed his salad to one side, and Mila and Victor had made cheesy potatoes and placed them on the other. 

“Everything looks great.” Yuuri reached out grabbing some of the salad, a piroshki, and then some of the cheesy potatoes as he dug into the food. His stomach grumbled as he shoved a fork full of salad into his mouth. 

“Of course it's great. Do you see who is at this table?” Yuri pointed out, his mouth stuffed with potatoes. 

“That’s true,” Yuuri agreed. 

Victor beamed as he quietly chewed on the end of the piroshki. He locked eyes with Yuuri and nodded. Yuuri nodded back and ate another fork full of salad. 

A comfortable silence fell over the table as everyone ate. It didn’t take long for the plates to end up empty and for everyone to vacate the kitchen. 

“So what did you get me?” Yuri asked as he clapped his hands together, staring at all of the bags scattered in clumps around the living area. Phichit picked through a few and then pulled out two or three sacks and handed them to Yuri. 

“These are for you.” 

Peering into the sack, Yuri’s head shot up as he squinted at Yuuri and then at Phichit. He looked back towards Phichit, his voice wavering. “How did you know I wanted this? I’ve wanted one for _years_.” 

“I told him.” Victor cut in as he moved over to gently pull out the PS Vita that was tucked away into the sack with a couple of games. 

“Oh! Don’t worry about having to get games. We’ll set it up on the wi-fi, and we got you a gift card to buy games. If you beat those and need more, I’m sure Yuuri won’t mind,” Phichit explained. 

“Don’t forget the Mac.” Victor reminded him as he motioned to the other box in the next sack. 

“Macs?” Yuuri raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Mila. 

Mila grinned. “We still only spent 3,000 rubles. Yakov may or may not have connections to the store here in town, so we decided that it would be good to use.” 

“That’s nice of him and of you to use those connections. Thanks.” 

Yuri was practically vibrating where he stood as he looked up and looked over to Yuuri. “You were being honest.” 

Yuuri blinked. “Huh?” 

Yuri didn’t say another word, but he held up two of the bags and smirked. “I’m going to go spend some time to myself. Don’t bother me.” 

With that, Yuri disappeared to go play with his new toys. 

Phichit smiled and winked at Yuuri as he turned and motioned to Victor. “Okay, I’m sure your wardrobe is bare in there. Why not start taking some of the bags and emptying them in your room?” 

Victor grabbed five of the bags and nodded. “I’ll be done in about an hour or so.” 

“With as many things as we got for you, I’d make it two.” Mila bragged as she sat on the arm of the couch, arms crossed over her chest. 

Victor bit his lip and nodded hesitantly, grabbing two more bags on his way to his room. 

“Things went well today. Maybe before we get started back on our work, I can show you some of the pictures I took?” Phichit suggested as he held up his phone with a small grin. 

Yuuri really was curious about the pictures, but when the other mentioned work he shrugged. “We don’t have any work tonight.” 

Phichit and Mila exchanged looks of surprise before both looked back at him. Yuuri averted his eyes as he shrugged. “I sort of finished everything this afternoon without meaning to.” 

Guilt and disgust were the best dogs to set on his heels to keep him working. 

Of course, that wasn’t something Yuuri could honestly share with the group in the room. They would do their best to try and change his mind, but Yuuri had already come up with his own solution to assuage his guilt. 

“That was a lot of work to do alone. Are you sure?” Phichit frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I’m sure. It was small things that were just more pushed together than we normally deal with. I will have a short trip to do some mediation, but I shouldn’t be gone more than two or three days. Probably Wednesday to Friday,” Yuuri informed them. 

Mila nodded. “Well, you should work hard right now. In the next few days Yakov may need more help with the logistics of the announcement party itself.” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Yuuri answered with more confidence than he felt. 

Mila smiled and stood up. “I should be getting home. Yakov gets worried if Georgi or I are by ourselves after dark. He thinks the monsters lurking out there will come after us.” 

“Do you have a ride home?” Yuuri asked quietly. 

“Yes. I just confirmed they would be here around seven-ish. They should be here any time now.” Mila motioned to the phone clutched in her hand. As if on cue, the phone dinged and she stood up and tucked it into the pocket of her jacket. 

Yuuri opened the door for her, and she leaned forward kissing his cheek. “I know you both are tired, but I’m so excited you are here for a little longer. Tell Victor that we’ll see each other soon.” 

With a flip of her hair, Mila strode down the hallway not looking back at Yuuri. Yuuri shut the door and sagged against it with a sigh. 

“This is the happiest I’ve seen her.” Phichit moved some of the bags to the table so he could sit on the couch. 

“Yeah, we really are going to have to pull out all the stops to make sure that her announcement party is a night to remember for everyone,” Yuuri agreed as he settled down into one of the recliners, eyes sliding shut. 

“Do you want me to check on the work you did earlier?” 

“Are you worried that I did it wrong?” Yuuri opened one eye and stared at his friend warily. 

“This is the first time in a long time that you’ve done work on your own of that magnitude. There hasn’t been something like this since Canada,” Phichit reminded him softly. 

Yuuri flinched. 

_Canada._

Canada would forever be a place that he would remember and stay away from. It was the reason that Phichit was assigned to co-mission with him. It was where he developed the horrible panic attacks and bouts of depression. 

It had been a spectacular failure for him. 

“If you want to check it I won’t stop you, but I didn’t want you to have to come home and work your ass off after running around all day with Mila and Victor,” Yuuri clicked his tongue and sank down onto the chair. 

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I want to make sure we are protecting you, too. You shouldn’t take on all the burden yourself.” Phichit rolled his shoulders and pulled his legs onto the couch. 

“It’s not a burden.” Yuuri tugged at a strand of his hair absently. 

“We’ll have to get you a haircut before the party.” Phichit nodded at his best friend.


	17. Chapter 17

“How long has it been since you’ve been here?” Mila asked, her eyes on her phone as she rested next to Victor on his bed. 

“About five weeks now,” Victor reminded her, his eyes on his laptop. 

“I can’t believe how long it’s been.” Mila sighed and curled her toes into the comforter as she knocked her shoulder against Victor’s. 

Victor smiled and looked over at her. 

He hadn’t known what to think about Mila when they had first met. She wasn’t like many women he had seen, or even the girls he had interacted with at the orphanages he had been shipped around to. If he hadn’t already known, he also wouldn’t have made the connection to her being Bratva. She was warm, welcoming, and had definitely wormed her way past his carefully placed defenses. 

Until then, no one had gotten that close, and now thanks to Yuuri, he had several people he felt at ease around. 

“When is the brat getting back?” Mila asked. 

“Not sure. Since the doctor cleared him and he can actually go out, Yuuri took him to go shopping for clothes.” Victor rested his chin on his hands as he stared at the small video playing on the computer screen. 

“Finally. I was going to suggest that we did that soon. Poor kid is way too small to be wearing Phichit or Yuuri’s clothing.” Mila clicked the screen of her phone off. 

“That’s what Yuuri said. Phichit told him he looked cute that way, and Yuri grabbed Phichit’s phone and threatened to break it if he heard anymore.” Victor felt a smile tug at his lips as he remembered how scandalized Phichit had looked. 

“I bet Phichit was nearly on the floor. ‘Please, no! Not my precious cell phone how will I live?’” Mila mimicked Phichit as she leaned against Victor’s shoulder, eyes on the computer screen. 

Victor chuckled. “Yeah, that was about how it sounded.” 

“How did I know?” Mila giggled. 

“How long have you known them?” Victor asked as he closed the laptop. The small video finished as he let his eyes roam about the room. 

“I haven’t known Phichit for long, maybe a couple of years? I’ve known Yuuri since he was around eleven or twelve. So, a long time.” Mila tapped her fingers on the back of her cell phone cover. Victor sat up and crossed his legs in front of him. 

Mila rolled onto her side and looked up at him with a small smirk. “That got your attention, hmm?” 

“I knew you two have known each other for a long time, but that is a _really_ long time,” Victor murmured. 

“Yakov helped raise Yuuri off and on when it was Yuuri’s turn to come back to Russia. He’s been learning about the Bratva and shadowing Yakov since his early teens,” Mila informed him. 

“How was it being raised in the Bratva?” Victor finally asked. 

“I doubt it was any different from other regular homes. The only difference is that there are some parts of it that I couldn’t see until recently.” Mila checked her text messages on her phone, fingers poking at the screen. 

“Why ‘til recently?” Victor questioned. 

“Oh, I just officially decided to join the Bratva. I was just doing small things at first, but now I’ll be able to help Georgi, Yuuri, and Yakov when they need it.” Mila swiped her fingers over the screen with a satisfied hum. 

“Could you explain what you mean as far as how it’s probably like a regular home?” Victor still had a hard time believing that the Bratva could be anything but a dark place to grow up in and that only hardened criminals could survive. 

“A lot of what people think they know about mafias come from movies, but in reality it’s not like we are all carrying guns, assassinating people, or robbing banks and busting kneecaps.” Mila counted off the things she had seen in movies.

In the limited amount of films he had seen, Victor could definitely say that he had seen at least one mafia movie and that he had seen at least half of those things in the film. Mila continued. “Don’t get me wrong. Murder, extortion, and robbery do exist. There’s bloodshed too, but not nearly as much as when Yakov was younger.” 

Victor raised both his brows and tugged on a strand of his hair, wrapping it around his finger. “Oh? Why is that?” 

“Because there were no alliances when Yakov was young, and pride was something that was used to keep people fighting to be on top.” Mila stretched her arms above her head. 

“What changed?” 

“It would have to definitely be the alliance. All of the needless bloodshed was cut down when bosses of the groups started to realize it was better to work together and that everyone could make a good cut of money that way,” Mila answered. 

“That makes sense.” Victor leaned back on his hands as he tipped his head to the side, one of his feet poking at Mila’s knee. She grinned and reached down thumping the bottom of his foot. 

“So how do Phichit and Yuuri fit into all this if they aren’t exactly in a mafia family?” 

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? Phichit and Yuuri seemed so normal that it was hard to place them inside what he had known about the Bratva. He had seen the intimidation on the streets from small factions, and he had also had his share of run-ins that had left him battered and bruised. 

But that hadn’t exactly been at the hands of the Feltsman Bratva. 

“Yuuri, Phichit, and his family are the lynch pin that hold the alliance together. It was Yuuri’s grandfather and father that built up the idea, and it is Yuuri and Phichit that keep it going. Basically, they float outside of all the groups in the alliance and make sure that everyone stays fair.” Mila drags her finger up the bottom of Victor’s foot. 

Victor tried to tug his foot away, but she grabbed him by the ankle and grinned. 

“Mila, please don’t!”

She winked and started to rub his foot. “Yuuri’s sister Mari is the head of their group, and she is very good at what she does. They all are. But in order to keep impartial, they had to sacrifice their time with Yuuri.” 

“What do you mean?” Part of Victor wanted to know as much as he could, but the other part of him really didn’t want to know about the circumstances at all. 

_Why is that? Are you afraid you’ll stop wanting to be around him?_

No. Yuuri was a good person despite everything. He was compassionate enough to want to help him, and now Yuri, make something of themselves. He wouldn’t put his hand on Victor even if he wanted him to so badly. 

“Remember when I told you I saw Yuuri off and on for years? That’s because he would stay with us for half a year, then he would go to a different crime group. He spent time with all the families in the alliance and very little time with his own family. That didn’t change until recently.” Mila rubbed the arch of Victor’s foot and motioned for him to place the other in her lap. 

Looking at his feet, she hummed. “I definitely think we should get you a pedicure. Then you’ll have to upkeep your feet a little better.” 

Victor rolled his eyes and wiggled his toes at her. “Yeah, yeah.” 

“Now that we’ve had a history lesson in mafia, what about Phichit?” Victor asked. 

It was hard for him not to be curious about Yuuri’s business partner. He was always next to Yuuri like a right hand, but when they were alone it was so playful and warm that it was definitely more than a partnership for business. 

Mila smiled. “Phichit is here to help Yuuri keep running efficiently. Yuuri is good at his job, but with Phichit there, they get so much done it’s unreal. Mari insisted that when Yuuri developed anxiety, he pick a partner and take him on all his work. That was Phichit.” 

“So they’re just partners and best friends?” Victor pulled his feet away from Mila as he thought about Phichit and Yuuri, and how close they always appeared and how they were able to share that easy affection. 

Victor wanted that. 

“Do I detect some jealousy? Hmm?” Mila teased him. 

“Not at all. Yuuri already made it perfectly clear where we stand,” Victor grumbled looking down at the comforter between them. 

“Not many people can say that they have a love that doesn’t ask for anything in return, Victor. Yuuri definitely thinks the world of you even just knowing you as long as he has.” Mila reached out threading their fingers together. 

“It just feels like everyone else knows these parts of him, but he doesn’t let Yuri or I that close. I don’t feel like I know everything about him.” 

“I think it’s more that he won’t let you get to know him that well and not Yuri so much. The brat is just grateful to have found someone that wants to help him,” Mila prodded gently. 

Victor was just about to retort when Phichit stuck his head in the door. “As much fun as it sounds like you two are having talking about the mafia, Yuuri, and I, Yakov just e-mailed me and said there is some business he needs you to tend to, Mila.” 

Victor felt his cheeks heat up as he ducked his head. Mila grinned, wiggling off the bed. “Well then. Duty calls.” 

“I guess we will have to continue our talk soon. Maybe tomorrow over lunch and with less ears around?” Mila tossed the invite at Victor with a grin. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Victor called. 

“Hey, just because you two can’t keep it down doesn’t mean that I was listening in on purpose. You knew I was working in the living room.” Phichit laughed as Mila brushed past him. 

Victor hopped up from the bed and followed Mila out into the living room. 

The young woman stopped and snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it. If you want to see exactly how Phichit and Yuuri operate, then why don’t I invite you to the announcement party?” 

“The announcement party?” Victor had heard them talk about it, but no one had really elaborated on what exactly the announcement was. 

“Yes, that’s a perfect idea!” Mila cried as she turned and looked to Phichit. 

Phichit blinked and looked hesitantly between the teens. “I don’t know Mila-” 

“It’ll be fine.” Mila cut him off with a wave of her hand as she reached out and grabbed Victor’s hands in her own. 

Victor watched her with a small frown. “Are you sure I should go?” 

“You want to know more don’t you? Take this time and watch how they are when they work.” Mila pressed. 

Victor hesitated for a split second. Did he really want to know? Did he want to see that part of Yuuri that the other tried to keep sealed away from him and Yuri? 

The answer sounded more sure than Victor felt. “Yes. I want to know more. Thanks, Mila.” 

Phichit whined. “Mila.” 

Mila turned and looked to Phichit as she took out her phone and sent a quick message. Phichit’s phone vibrated and Victor watched him take out the phone and look at it. “What’s this?” 

“He’ll need a suit and this place gives us preference. They should be able to do the measurements and get it done by tomorrow afternoon.” Mila instructed as she moved towards the door. 

Phichit and Victor both stared after her. “Oh, and Victor? I’ll send a car for you early so the others can get ready here, but I want to do your hair for the party. See you both tomorrow!” 

With that Mila waltzed out the door leaving both men in the living room. 

“Yuuri is not going to be happy about this.” Phichit sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Don’t worry, if he gets too upset I’ll talk to him.” Victor assured. 

“He will be upset. Also, Victor you might not like what you see at that gathering,” Phichit warned. 

Victor felt a shiver run down his spine as he bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn’t argue that Yuuri wouldn’t be upset, and he knew that there might be things he might not understand, but he _needed_ to do this. 

“I’ll be fine. Thanks for worrying about me.” Victor did his best not to let the words rattle him. He needed to stay firm about this. He needed to make sure he had a whole picture and not just a few pieces.

Phichit looked at the contact information on his phone. “I better call this place and make an appointment. I’ll be back in a second.”

Victor took a deep breath. “I hope I’m doing the right thing.”


	18. Chapter 18

The afternoon had been long for Yuuri. 

He and Yuri had gone out shopping while Phichit had stayed behind to work. Mila and Victor had opted to stay and lounge around which meant that Yuuri spent the whole afternoon being tugged into different shops. 

Yuri’s fashion sense was something that Yuuri didn’t understand. It was a lot of zip up hoodies, t-shirts with prints of bold letters, loud colors, and then of course the tiger print. There was _so much _tiger print.__

__All in all the day had been interesting, and Yuuri had relegated himself to the job of carrying the bags._ _

__When it became too much for either of them to carry, Yuuri had herded the young teen into a cab and they had gone back to the hotel._ _

__“I didn’t get half of what I needed,” Yuri groused as he pulled the large sacks out of the inside of the cab, and then the cab driver popped the trunk. Yuuri fished out the other sacks and motioned for a concierge to help them. The man recognized Yuuri and instantly came to his side to help, grabbing a baggage cart._ _

__“We will definitely take another shopping trip the next time I’m free. We’ll drag Victor along and make him carry all the bags. Deal?” Yuuri asked with a small smile._ _

__The blond nodded. “Deal. Then we will make him walk tons with all the bags.”_ _

__Yuuri smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”_ _

__The trip up the elevator was easier with the luggage cart and definitely quicker with some help from the one bell boy. Once they reached the door,Yuuri tapped his keycard to the small padlock. The button turned green and Yuri opened the door for everyone._ _

__The bellhop quickly unloaded the bags by the door and took off down the hall towards the elevator._ _

__“Phichit! We’re back,” Yuuri called._ _

__“Welcome home, darling!” Phichit called out from the business office._ _

__Yuri scrunched up his nose. “You two are so gross.”_ _

__Yuuri rolled his eyes and ruffled Yuri’s hair. “Get everything put up, and make sure you show Victor everything you got, too.”_ _

__Yuri smirked and grabbed a few bags. “Oi! Victor!”_ _

__The angry teen announced his presence before entering the room and partially shutting the door behind him. Yuuri wandered into the business office and sat down next to Phichit, the other pecking away at the keys on his laptop._ _

__“How is work?” Yuuri leaned over and Phichit nudged him back._ _

__“As of right now, perfectly fine without you hovering. I found another account and passed it onto Mari. She did ask me to have you call her soon, and I figured by the time you got back it would be a good time to do it.” Phichit explained as he locked his computer and turned towards Yuuri._ _

__Yuuri studied his best friend’s face. Phichit was holding back from telling him something.  
“What?” _ _

__Phichit pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re not going to like this, but you can blame Mila.”_ _

__“How did her visit with Victor go?” Yuuri asked as he turned and rifled through a few papers._ _

__Phichit reached out and slapped his hands away. “Stop, you are off of work today. Relax and enjoy not having to worry about doing anything else, okay?”_ _

__“Fine. So how did it go?” Yuuri asked resting his hands in his lap._ _

__Phichit turned over the paperwork and sunk back into his chair. “Well, it went good until the end.”_ _

__“Did they argue?” Yuuri adjusted his glasses and sighed pressing his hand to his forehead. Victor and Mila had been getting along great. What had happened to make Phichit this wound up? Even though the other was trying to downplay what he wanted to tell Yuuri, Phichit wouldn’t be stalling if he didn’t think it was important._ _

__“No. Actually, they talked about the mafia alliance, and then Mila invited Victor to come with her to the meeting and the announcement party.” Phichit scooted his chair away from Yuuri a few inches._ _

__Yuuri felt as if his breath had been punched out of his lungs. “What?”_ _

__“Yeah, he said he wanted the whole picture, and so she said it would be a good idea for him to go to the announcement party and the meeting where they are going to sign the paperwork,” Phichit explained._ _

__Yuuri felt his vision swim as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath._ _

__That was going to happen sooner or later._ _

__They had known this would happen, but that didn’t mean that Yuuri had to like the way it was going to happen. This was an event that he had carefully put together and taken responsibility for. If anything happened, it would be on him, Phichit, and Yakov._ _

__That wasn’t a place that Yuuri wanted Victor to see._ _

__But it appeared that Victor was so curious that Mila had felt that she could offer insight. Having her and Victor become close friends was a blessing and a curse._ _

__“Yuuri, we all knew this was going to happen sooner or later. This way at least it’s controlled and in an environment that would be safer than say taking him with you to Seoul or to Detroit,” Phichit soothed, his hand reaching out to squeeze the top of Yuuri’s._ _

__Yuuri took another deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re right. I might not like it, but it is safer.”_ _

__Phichit nodded in agreement. “If he can’t take this part of you, then maybe he doesn’t deserve your help at all. Besides, you're pretty sexy when you’re working.”_ _

__Yuuri bit back a laugh as he shook his head. “Don’t try to make me laugh.”_ _

__“Why not? You need some humor in your life. Also, don’t worry so much. Things will work out.” Phichit pushed himself back from the table._ _

__Yuuri pulled himself up and followed his partner out of the work room. “If Victor is going to go, then that means he needs a good suit. Do you think we have time to figure that out and get him one?”_ _

__“I’ve got him an appointment at a place that Mila recommended. They get preference there and she said they will have the suit done by tomorrow afternoon. Victor is going to get ready at the manor.” Phichit filled him in on the details that had been hastily discussed._ _

__“Why the manor?” Yuuri blinked and shook his head._ _

__“Because Mila wants to do Victor’s hair.” Phichit snorted and rolled his eyes._ _

__“They have a good friendship,” Yuuri muttered._ _

__“Maybe a little too good,” Phichit agreed with a small grin._ _

__“I’ll take care of Victor and the suit, and while we are gone, don’t forget to call Mari.” Phichit reminded his best friend. Yuuri hadn’t talked to his family recently, and it was rare that Mari would contact him for anything, let alone Yuuri._ _

__Yuuri nodded and took his phone from his pocket as he wandered into the kitchen and sat at the counter on a bar stool. “Once you two leave, I’ll give her a call.”_ _

__Leaning against the bar, Yuuri focused on the cold sting of the tile against his skin as he let his brain take apart the information he had just been given._ _

__It hadn’t been five minutes before Yuuri felt someone staring at him, looking up he noticed Victor and smiled warily at him. “Hey.”_ _

__Victor visibly relaxed, “Hey.”_ _

__“You aren’t mad, are you?” Victor moved towards Yuuri, and Yuuri sighed. Of course he would understand that Yuuri was upset. But Yuuri couldn’t and wouldn’t take it out on him._ _

__“I’m not mad, just worried. This is dangerous Victor, and I don’t want you to get hurt.” Yuuri reached out and gently grabbed Victor by the wrist._ _

__“I’m not Yuri. I understand more than he does about what you do and what the Bratva and the other people at this place do for a living. I’m not scared. I just want to understand.” Victor allowed himself to be pulled over towards the counter._ _

__“Whether you are ready or not, this party is going to dump you into the middle of it. Promise me you’ll stay with Mila or Georgi the whole entire evening,” Yuuri demanded, thumb tracing the pulse of Victor’s wrist._ _

__Victor sucked in a breath, and Yuuri sat up a little straighter._ _

__“I promise,” Victor murmured._ _

__“Good. That’s all I ask.” Yuuri nodded and gently let the teen go._ _

__Victor’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “When are we going to talk about this?”_ _

__Yuuri frowned and tipped his head towards the other, his knee bouncing on the lower bar of the barstool. “This?”_ _

__“About what’s between us,” Victor clarified._ _

__“We’ve already discussed this. I can’t do what you want me to, Victor. I can’t cheapen what I’m trying to do for you by having you in my bed.” Yuuri bit his lower lip as Victor deflated a little._ _

__“What if I were older? What if I was your age or Phichit’s age? What would you do then?” Victor asked._ _

__Yuuri took off his glasses and quietly cleaned them on the sweater he was wearing. It gave him a reason not to look at Victor and to pretend that the look he was receiving wasn’t heart wrenching. “I would give you anything in the world you could ask for.”_ _

__“Except that,” Victor finished glumly._ _

__“Except that,” agreed Yuuri._ _

__“This isn’t the last time I’ll ask,” Victor warned._ _

__“I know, but you know that I can’t.” It was useless to deny that Yuuri didn’t feel the deep connection they had built over the past few weeks. But Yuuri wasn’t going to let that get in the way of Victor having a better life._ _

__He wanted to help him, and he would continue to do so without gaining anything from him._ _

__Yuuri wanted to prove to Victor and himself that this was worth it._ _

__It would be because he would stick to his morals, and he would continue to work with Victor and give him a proper home._ _

__“Victor, it’s time to go!” Phichit called from by the door._ _

__Victor stood up with a start and turned to go. Yuuri watched him with a small sad smile on his lips. “Even if you don’t understand it now, you will when you’re on your own as an adult.”_ _

__Victor paused, nodded stiffly and continued on his way out._ _

__\----_ _

__As soon as things settled back down to silence, Yuuri moved towards his and Phichit’s room, shutting and locking the door behind him. What he had to talk to Mari about didn’t need to be overheard by Yuri and misconstrued to Victor before everything was set up._ _

__Sitting on the edge of the bed, Yuuri looked at the phone between his hands._ _

__Mari _wanted_ him to call. That couldn’t mean anything terrible or she would have reached out to him directly instead of asking Phichit to let him know she wanted a call when he was available. _ _

__A pang of homesickness washed through him._ _

__If it weren’t for Victor and Yuri then both he and Phichit would be back in Hasetsu. Part of him wanted to be mad at himself for it, but the other part of him thought back to how much better both of the boys sounded and looked. Yuri for all his bravado was a good kid who really deserved a chance to a good education, and Victor deserved to have those opportunities too._ _

__They could start over and that was the main thing that Yuuri kept reminding himself._ _

__Yuri would have a shot at college or whatever he wanted to do. Victor was smart and could start over and figure out what the best route was for him too._ _

__Yuuri squeezed the phone in his hands, lips pursed into a thin line of determination._ _

__He would put his foot down and explain to Mari why things had to be this way. His mother and father would listen to whatever he and Mari decided, so all he had to do was get his sister on his side._ _

__“I can do this,” Yuuri spoke softly with more conviction than he felt._ _

__Tapping on the phone icon on his cell, Yuuri scrolled down and swiped his finger over his sister’s name._ _

__The phone started to ring, and he held it to his ear waiting for it to connect._ _

__After two rings, the phone picked up and there was the sound of people laughing and talking in the background. Mari called out in Japanese to some of the patrons and chuckled as she answered. “You certainly took your time in calling, little brother.”_ _

__Relief washed through him at the sound of her voice. “Mari...Sorry it’s taken me so long to call. We’ve been busy here.”_ _

__“I’m sure you have,” Mari agreed amicably as the sound in the background faded._ _

__Yuuri could hear her feet hitting the wooden floors as she wandered away from the main entertainment room. He heard the flick of her lighter and a slow exhale. “You’ve been doing great on the work we’ve sent you and Phichit. There have been nothing but requests for you to come and work with others and also petitions for others to join the alliance.”_ _

__“That’s good. I’m glad to hear it.” Ever since the day that Yuri had spoken to him in such a rough manner, Yuuri had pushed himself._ _

__“I was too. That was until Phichit told me you’ve been single handedly spearheading all the projects we’ve been sending. He said that you’ve also been taking on all the mediations the past couple of weeks.” Mari spoke in a blasé way that made what she was talking about seem unimportant, but Yuuri knew that he had to listen._ _

__“I just want to keep our name in good standing,” Yuuri defended himself._ _

__Mari hummed on the phone. “It sounds like you were worried that with the addition of the kiddos that people might think you were soft or that you were slipping in your work.”_ _

__Yuuri sighed and rubbed his face with his free hand. “No. That’s not it at all.”_ _

__Mari paused and sighed softly. “If there is one person that can see through the bullshit your brain puts together it’s me. Don’t hide things that don’t need to be hidden.”_ _

__It was a warning. Yuuri knew that and shut his eyes as he shifted back onto the bed. “I want to bring them to Hasetsu.”_ _

__“I figured as much. You’ve taken on a lot of work, and Phichit had been watching after you like we agreed upon. Though I’m not sure what we can do with two kids in the onsen.”_ _

__“Put them to work. I want them to have normal lives. Well, as normal as they can be at this point.” Yuuri opened his eyes and stared at the mirror on the dresser in front of him._ _

__He could see the toll that the last few weeks had taken on him in his face. He looked _tired_ , but the weariness gave way to something that was more satisfied. Sure, watching Victor and Yuri had been tiresome in a different way than his job, but Yuuri had never felt so at ease with a decision before. _ _

__“So you don’t want them to help with our family. I was thinking that Victor could at least-”_ _

__Yuuri shook his head but remembered his sister couldn’t see him so he rushed his words. “No. I don’t want Victor involved with any of the things we do. I want him to have the choice to be a normal teenager.”_ _

__“So leaving him in Russia with Yakov Feltsman is out of the question. It might be easier to leave them in his hands like Mila and Georgi,” Mari pondered as Yuuri heard her take another inhale of her cigarette._ _

__“I don’t want them involved in the Bratva or with what we do,” Yuuri insisted, hand tightening on his phone._ _

__“What is so wrong with them being in the Bratva? You had no qualms about staying with them off and on for years.” Mari pointed out._ _

__“But that’s me and that’s our family. Victor and Yuri shouldn’t have to do that just to have a semblance of a normal life.” Yuuri argued._ _

__The line was silent between them as both waited for the other to break the silence or give in. Yuuri wouldn’t be the first to talk._ _

__He was rewarded when he heard his sister sigh. “You don’t normally ask for things, and because of these two your vacation time with us has been cut short. You’ll only have so long before you will have to head to Seoul again.”_ _

__“That’s fine. I can deal with it for now. Seoul isn’t the worst place I could head after cutting my vacation short. Seung Gil and Heon Woo always take good care of me.” Yuuri let his mind wander to the son of one of the most influential Kkang-Pae in Korea. Something warm fluttered in his stomach._ _

__“I know you have a soft spot for him. He’s a good kid,” Mari agreed._ _

__“Yeah….” Yuuri trailed off._ _

__“So I suppose you are waiting for a final word on whether Victor and Yuri will be allowed to come stay with us in the onsen?” Mari asked, a hint of amusement in her voice._ _

__“I promise that they will have everything they need when they arrive,” Yuuri wheedled._ _

__Mari chuckled. “They aren’t pets Yuuri, they’re kids. But if you think this is really what you want to do, then I’ll support you.”_ _

__A weight Yuuri hadn’t realized he had was lifted as soon as his sister agreed. A smile split his face as he cradled the phone to his ear. “Thank you, Mari.”_ _

__“Don’t thank me, thank Mom and Dad. They are probably experiencing empty nest or something,” Mari joked._ _

__Yuuri smiled and shook his head. “Be careful. Don’t let them hear you say that.”_ _

__“Too late. There is someone who wants to talk to you.” Mari laughed._ _

__“It was nice talking to you, Mari. I’ll be sure to do it sooner next time.” Yuuri bid his sister farewell._ _

__“Yuuri?” The voice on the phone made Yuuri’s face heat up and his eyes water._ _

__“Mom?”_ _

__“Yuuri! It’s so good to hear your voice. Mari told us there were things holding you in Russia. Have you been doing all right?” his mother asked gently._ _

__“Yes. I’ve been doing well. Phichit and I have been working hard. We are ready to be home,” Yuuri mumbled._ _

__Yuuri could practically picture his mother’s smile as she hummed thoughtfully. “I also heard we will have a bigger family once you return. I cannot wait to meet our new boys.”_ _

__“You’ll love them. Yuri is wonderful and Victor is one of a kind. I know they’ll be able to help out around the onsen,” Yuuri assured her._ _

__“That doesn’t matter right now, what matters is that they are safe and happy.”_ _

__Yuuri couldn’t agree with his mother more. “You’re right.”_ _

__“Bring them home and we'll take care of them. After all, we survived taking care of you and your sister,” Hiroko teased._ _

__“Thank you mom.” Yuuri smiled, bowing his head to her in thanks even if she couldn’t see it._ _

__“We’ll see you soon.” With that, Yuuri hung up and relaxed into the sheets of his and Phichit’s bed._ _

__The hardest part was over, now came the task of offering a new home to the Russian teens. That part might not be as easy as he hoped it would be._ _


	19. Chapter 19

Victor slid into the limo and immediately felt out of his depth. 

The leather seats were too cold and springy, the windows were tinted, and the man that opened the door for him confirmed he was Victor and that’s all the talking he heard the whole ride. Instead of being reassuring, Victor turned back to ask a question and the door clicked shut, the window just inches from his nose. 

He scooted to the middle of the seat and pressed his hands against the tops of his thighs, his back ramrod straight and eyes straight ahead. 

If they were trying to make him feel at ease, the choice in ride was doing the opposite. 

“Calm down. This is just a ride to Mila’s house.” 

A den full of Bratva members and then some for the evening. 

In the back seat of the limo his only other company is the suit which Phichit had delivered this morning and insisted that Victor wait to put it on for when he actually showed up and was getting ready. 

So there he was. 

In a limo. 

For the first time. 

Victor reached up and tugged at a few loose strands of hair. Since Mila had insisted on helping him get ready and doing his hair, he hadn’t really put much into it. He had washed, dried, and tossed it up into a high ponytail on the back of his head. 

His clothing of choice was similarly haphazard. 

Instead of worrying about wearing anything that would be too eye catching, Victor had thrown on a black t-shirt and a pair of grey sweat pants. It was the perfect look if he had been staying at home and would suffice until he was ready for whatever the evening would entail. 

After ten minutes, Victor finally started to relax. Easy classical music flowed through the speakers, the orchestra ebbing and flowing in the piece. Tchaikovsky maybe? It sounded like it. Maybe not. 

He didn’t really know much about classical music, but for some reason it had always calmed his nerves. 

Chancing a look outside, Victor watched as the shops and familiar scenery disappeared. There were less and less properties until there were no commercial buildings at all. 

The houses morphed into larger homes further spaced apart. 

Scooting towards the window, Victor nearly pressed his nose to the tinted glass in order to get a better look. Some of the houses were so large they could pass for buildings like the historical ones downtown. 

Some were probably older. 

Another ten minutes and they passed through a large wrought iron gate that looked like it was at least fifteen feet tall. It was just a few hundred more feet before the limousine pulled around just to the left of a large manor bustling with activity. 

There were three buildings, one large cream colored manor with a dark sky blue roof. There were four pillars at the front, two framing each side of the door. On either side of the large manor were two small white houses with the same blue roof. They were medium sized and had the same pillar motif that the larger house had but on a much smaller scale. 

Victor nearly fell out when the driver came around and opened the door. 

“We have arrived,” the driver announced unnecessarily and motioned for Victor to depart from the limo. 

Grabbing the hanging bag with his suit in it, he stepped away from the limo and looked around feeling as if his heart might hammer out of his chest. 

“I’ve never been to a place this fancy.” 

Looking around, the gardeners were out in mass straightening the shrubs and making sure everything looked pristine. But there was no indication as to where he should go. Victor bit his lower lip and looked around as the limo slowly rolled right around the circular drive and down the way he came. 

“Victor?” 

Mila’s voice greeted his ears, and Victor snapped his head in her direction. The young woman stood on the porch of the small manor replica to the left of the main manor in nothing by a satin robe, arms folded across her chest. 

“Mila!” Victor nearly tripped over himself, glad to finally has somewhere to go. 

Her smile brightened as she tipped her head towards the door open behind her. “Come on, Vitya. We need to get you ready.” 

“Ma’am! You need to get ready first!” A young maid protested as she followed after Mila. 

Mila waved her off. “I take very little time. We have _hours_ before anyone will expect me to really be ready.” 

“But-” 

“No buts. I’m going to help my friend get ready. Do not come back for at least an hour and a half.” Mila stopped the young girl before she could start another round on protesting. 

The young woman folded her hands in front of her and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” 

With that she scurried off, probably to attend to another person or maybe to the festivities themselves. Victor couldn’t be sure, but Mila motioned to him grinning. “Come on.” 

Victor followed her inside and shut the door behind himself. 

Contrary to the busy atmosphere outside, the smaller manor was quiet inside and a little dimmer. Immediately, Victor felt drained and sighed as he followed Mila up the stairs and to a large room. 

“Here let me take that!” Mila smiled and grabbed the suit and moved into an adjoining room, disappearing for a moment. 

The room was like something out of a hotel. It was very contemporary with the floor being a speckled grey and white tile. The walls were an off white color and to the right was a large window that took up nearly all of the wall. In front of it was a large sheer curtain with a cream colored blackout panel over it that was drawn to the sides. In front of the window were two medium sized bench chairs covered in white upholstery. 

The headboard behind the bed was a whole different type of padding that reminded him of how chairs looked with the indentions ever so often in a pattern to make them look fancy. On either side of the bed were night stands and on each was a glass vase of pink roses. The roses looked fresh and the smell permeated the room. 

There were also lights that hung down from the ceiling in glass boxes suspended a few feet above the night stands. On either side of the cushioned white headboard, there were two pink paintings that had french words written over the canvas. The room practically screamed Mila and sophistication at the same time. 

“Do you like it?” Mila asked from behind him. 

“It’s beautiful,” Victor murmured, pulling his arms against his stomach as he took a step back towards Mila. 

“Well, I don’t have many guests over, so you’re one of the few besides Georgi, Yuuri, and Yakov to have seen it. It’s my personal space.” 

The implications of that were louder than words. 

Mila trusted him enough to let him into her own space. While they had only been friends a few weeks, their friendship had slowly bloomed between them. 

“Thank you.” Victor turned towards her. 

She smiled and motioned to the room she had just come from. “Let’s get you dressed and then I can work on your hair. I had a lot of time to think about what I was going to do with it. I hope you’ll like it.” 

Victor moved into the bathroom without further prompting and noticed that Mila had carefully set each piece of his three piece suit out for him. He had tried on a pattern suit, and he had left the colors and ordering to Phichit. The suit had a black jacket, black suit pants, and a light grey vest. The shirt and tie were a gunmetal darker than the vest and on the floor were a pair of black dress shoes. 

On the counter was a pair of black socks placed next to the untied tie. 

He got to work and slowly dressed himself, without looking in the mirror. He didn’t want to see the look until he was completely done. After all, he wanted to see if he needed to run away or if he could pass for a normal person at a high stakes event. 

“I want to do this,” Victor mumbled as he buttoned up the shirt and smoothed out the collar. Tugging on the vest, he left it unbuttoned but pulled on his jacket and took care to put on his socks and shoes before walking out to Mila with the tie. 

“Oh Victor, that looks great so far.” Mila eyed the tie in his hand. 

Victor smiled sheepishly. “I’ve never had to tie a tie.”

Mila blinked and a small sad smile graced his lips. “Neither have I, but I bet if we texted Georgi he would come up and tie it for you. In fact, before we get started, give me a sec.” 

With that Mila picked up her phone and tapped out a quick message before tossing the phone onto the middle of her bed. Moving over towards the small vanity on the opposite side of her bed, next to the bathroom entrance, she patted the chair. “Okay, come on, let’s get started.”


	20. Chapter 20

Everything on Mila’s vanity looked like a torture device to Victor. 

Motioning to his ponytail, Mila smiled. “Can you take your hair out of the ponytail? I’ll need to brush it and then I’m going to have you turn around in the chair and face me, okay?” 

Victor nodded and tugged the ponytail holder carefully out of his long hair. It rested mid back and felt better out of the band than it did in. Running his fingers through it a few times, he turned and looked over his shoulder towards Mila. She leaned over him and grabbed the pink and black brush off the small table. 

“Are you tender headed?” Mila asked. 

“Not that I know of. Just don’t tear my hair out of my skull,” Victor joked as he leaned back so she could start to brush, making sure to pull all his hair out from between his back and the chair. 

Having his hair played with always felt so good to Victor. Before long, a comfortable silence fell between them, and the only thing that Victor focused on was the feel of the brush going from root to tip. 

“Your hair is so pretty. I’ve always thought that,” Mila praised him as she continued. 

After a few more moments, she patted Victor on the shoulder. “Okay. Up. I am going to start styling your hair.” 

Victor looked at all the devices on the vanity and then back to Mila. She must have sensed his trepidation and shook her head with a grin. “Nope. Not doing that. I’m going to use my hands, a few bobby pins, and ponytail holders, and _maybe_ a dash of hairspray.” 

“I trust you.” Victor nodded. 

“Good to know.” 

Mila sectioned off a few pieces of his hair, mostly his bangs, and worked around him changing her place several times with a few bobby pins clenched between her teeth. All Victor could feel was a sharp tug here and there and her nimble fingers braid a piece of hair around the left side of the side of his head. 

Each time she paused, Victor squirmed and stretched his arms. 

“Do you need to get up and move?” Mila asked around her bobby pins. 

“No. I’m just not used to sitting in one place for too long.” Victor arched his back and relaxed back into his previous position so that Mila could continue. 

Several moments of silence filled the space between them. 

“You know Victor. I’ve never had friends I could play with their hair like this.” Mila broke the silence between them. 

Something warm settled deep inside Victor's chest, making him smile. “Oh, really?” 

“Really,” she confirmed. 

“Well then, I’m honored you decided I was worth it enough to play with my hair.” Victor leaned back into her hands a little more firmly making her giggle as she took a step back. 

“Come on Victor, I am _almost_ done. Then you’ll be free to goof around...within reason of course.” Mila laughed. 

True to her word, Mila stood back and tapped her fingers to her cheek, her other arm pressed over her chest as she eyed her work critically. She snapped her fingers and hurried to the door. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move!” 

Victor sat quietly and watched her go. He heard her steps retreat down the stairs and almost as quickly as they had gone, he head them get louder and louder until she skittered back into the room, robe slipping down her shoulder as she wandered towards his left side. 

“Just a few more touches and then I will definitely let you see.” Mila promised. 

Victor nodded and he felt her tug at some of the work she had previously done. After a few more tugs and a few more bobby pins pinching into his hair, she stepped back, her eyes lighting up. “Wonderful! It looks great!” 

She clasped her hands together and let her eyes roam over him as she motioned for him to stand up. Victor complied silently as she walked around him a few times. She finally came to a stop in front of him and clapped her hands together. “Perfect. You will definitely be the gem of the whole evening.” 

“But shouldn’t that be you? This is your announcement and your party.” Victor pointed out. 

“You’re my friend, Victor. I want you to look good. It makes me happy when you have confidence and feel good.” Mila smiled and grabbed him by the arms turning him to face the vanity. 

Victor blinked and stared at a person that he hardly recognized as himself. 

That person was too glamorous and too sharply dressed to be him. 

But there he was in the reflection of the mirror in a three piece suit sans tie. His hair was amazingly well done. The right side of his hair was partially left down, the left had his long bangs and some of this hair down as well framing his face. However, on the left his hair was pulled back into a loose braid that was tucked up and joined the other side of his hair, but what really brought it all together were the white flowers that Mila had tucked and pinned into his hair. It added a feminine touch to his exaggerated masculine appearance.

“Oh Mila...I look _good_ ,” Victor breathed, covering his mouth with shaking hands. 

Mila beamed at the mirror over his shoulder. “You look just like you should.” 

“Thank you.” Victor rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to keep himself from crying, but it was a losing battle. 

“Oh Victor...don’t cry!” Mila whined as she moved around to take his cheeks in her hands smoothing her thumbs under his eyes. 

“I’m sorry. I’m just so happy.” 

A gentle knock startled them apart as Georgi stepped into the room wearing his own suit, already looking sharp and in control as usual. Georgi took in Mila’s appearance and then Victor’s. “You look very nice Victor. Mila, we don’t have that much time. What are you still doing in your bath robe?” 

Mila rolled her eyes and then turned towards the bathroom waving them both off. “I’m going to shower and get ready for all the maids and their fussing. Georgi, can you help Victor with his tie?” 

“Da.” Georgi replied, motioning for Victor to hand him the tie. 

Victor complied and stepped forward. Georgi tugged him closer and looped the tie around his neck. 

“Mischa never fails to impress with his suits. Mila told me that she had Phichit take you over there.” With a few more simple tugs, Georgi finished and then buttoned up Victor’s vest for him checking his overall look. 

“He was quick.” Victor nodded and shut his eyes as he felt Georgi’s critical eyes checking every detail. 

“I bet you whether or not he realizes it, Yuuri is going to take one look at you and definitely be impressed.” Georgi patted Victor on both shoulders as he turned and moved out of the room motioning for Victor to follow him. 

“Is it a good idea for us to leave before Mila comes back out?” Victor asked. 

“Do _you_ want to watch her get dressed and have her hair fussed at by two over enthusiastic household maids?” Georgi raised an eyebrow and paused mid-stride. 

“Good point,” Victor conceded. 

“Oh and remember to stick close to Mila or I. There are men here that once they see you will try and get you alone to steal you away. Do not stray,” Georgi ordered him quietly. 

Victor felt his stomach turn and a shiver run up his spine. Nodding, he followed Georgi out of Mila’s small manor. 

\----

After Georgi was checked over by Yakov, both he and Victor were allowed to wander around the manor. Victor followed him as he turned tour guide. After they were done, there was no way that Victor would ever forget the layout of the expansive manor. They had gone to every single room and Georgi had explained every minute detail to the point that Victor’s mind had started to wander. 

Georgi checked the time on his watch and nodded to Victor. “It’s about time for us to go to the meeting.” 

Victor’s chest tightened and he paused mid-step. 

“In the meeting, just keep behind Mila and I, and don’t talk at all. There will be a small little discussion, but nothing too weird or dangerous for you to hear. That’s why Yakov agreed for you to be in the meeting at Mila’s request,” Georgi explained. 

They walked down a long hallway and came to the only door that Victor hadn’t been taken into. 

“I’ll keep out of the way,” Victor promised. 

Georgi nodded and opened the doors. The room was full of people, some sitting in chairs and others standing around the edges of the room. The meeting room was probably too small to have everyone there sit down comfortably. All chatter stopped as heads turned to look at Georgi and Victor. Yakov sat at the head of the table and nodded to them. Georgi nodded to a few people and edged around most of the people standing against the walls as he moved to the empty seat at Yakov’s left hand. Mila sat at the second seat, and she smiled to Victor. 

Most of the eyes on the room went to him, and instantly, Victor felt out of place. 

Yakov gave him one last look as Victor pressed himself between two larger men against the wall behind Mila and Georgi. Turning his gaze at the others sitting down, Yakov nodded towards the doors as the two men beside Victor went and closed them. 

“This begins our brief meeting before the festivities.” Yakov clasped his hands on the table as he sat up straighter. 

“In the last several years, those here at this table have enjoyed the fruits of cooperation and understand that the stronger each individual group is, the stronger we are as an alliance.” Several pleased murmurs and whispers started up. 

Victor let his eyes wander around the table. Yakov was markedly older than the others at the table. Everyone else seemed to be younger, mostly between early to mid-twenties. 

Most of these people had grown up knowing and being friends with Yuuri as he moved from group to group. 

Yakov cleared his throat. “Today we are here to celebrate a bond between the American Mafia, The Triad, and the Bratva.” 

He pushed a folder up on the table as all talking silenced, and he flipped open the cream colored folder holding up a piece of paper. “This is what shall bind us legally, but what Mila, Guang Hong Ji, and Leo De Iglesia are doing is binding a part of our alliance to make it stronger for future generations.” 

Victor stared at the paper. No one had really told him what was going on, and honestly he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. 

“With just a few signatures the contract will be binding and legal. Mila with a lot of thought has decided to provide herself to help usher in a new generation to us all.” Victor bit his lip to keep from gasping out loud. 

Mila was going to do _what?_? 

“The child may be of Bratva blood, but they will be the progeny to two very deserving men and two powerful groups.” 

He took the contract and slid it to Mila who signed the contract, and then he turned the contract to the two men sitting opposite Mila and Georgi. 

Both looked fairly young, almost too young to take care of children and definitely too soft to be the future leaders of such prestigious groups, but they were sitting at the table for a reason. Yakov nodded his head. “Leo, please sign, and then Guang Hong Ji.” 

The man sitting to Yakov’s right had soft features and a small grin on his face. His hair was cut short and his bangs framed his face. He wore a black three piece suit with a white undershirt, classic. His partner next to him was dressed in a black and red changshan and looked like he could have still been around Victor’s age. His cheeks held a bit of baby fat and had a rosy hue to them. 

He accepted the contract and signed it and then gave it back to Yakov who put it back in the file. Once he was done, he handed the file to Georgi and turned back to the silent group. “The contract will be filed with Yuuri Katsuki and sent back to their headquarters in Hasetsu. Should anyone break the contract, it will be dealt with in a manner fitting the level of betrayal.” 

Victor had expected someone to make an objection or some sort of scene, but everyone just accepted the words. 

“Where are Katsuki and Chulanont?” An Italian man with short brown hair spoke up next to a woman with long dark hair and purple eyes. 

Yakov cleared his throat. “As you know Michele Crispino, they are not invited in on the meetings as they have to stay impartial. If there is a breach in the alliance, then they conduct their own investigation.” 

The young man with purple eyes tsked and tapped his fingers on the desk. 

“Now that this contract has been signed and we have countless witnesses to attest to it, we will celebrate this joining of three families into one. We will have drinks, foods, and dancing all in the main ballroom.” Yakov announced as he stood up and nodded to the men who had been keeping the doors shut and under watch. 

Both men opened up the doors and people started to talk amongst their small groups, chatting and slowly heading out the door towards the main ballroom. Thanks to Georgi at least Victor knew where that was. 

Stepping away from the wall, he sighed and headed to the door. 

“Victor, wait!” Mila called to him. 

Stopping, he waited for her to catch up. Mila smiled at him, practically floating over as she took her time. She was dressed in a white gown with a modest slit that went just a little higher than her knee. Georgi fell in step beside her as she reached out and threaded her arm through Victor’s. “Did you forget that you are my date for the evening?” 

“Date?” Victor’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. 

“That’s the deal, you stick with me and Georgi tonight,” Mila reminded him. 

“Oh. Yeah.” Victor nodded and looked down. 

“Everything okay?” Mila asked. 

Georgi looked at Victor and tipped his head to the side curiously. 

“It was kind of a surprise to find out that your announcement was that you are going to be a surrogate for someone.” Victor sighed and leaned against Mila’s side. 

“Oh. Well, it’s what I want to do. You’ll support me, right?” Mila asked with a small smile. 

Of course he would. What could he change if he said no? Mila had more loyalty to Yakov and to her friends she was helping than she did to Victor. He understood that and he definitely didn’t want to alienate his only friend he had ever had besides Yuri. 

“Of course.” Victor heard himself say in a cheerful timbre. 

Mila smiled. “Wonderful! Then we should go to the party and introduce you to everyone. Also, you’ll see Yuuri and Phichit sooner or later. I want to show you off to them too.”

Victor felt his heart pinch a little at the mention of Yuuri, but he didn’t resist being pulled in the direction that he could already hear music streaming from. He could make it through this evening. He had wanted to see what Yuuri was like when he was in his work world after all. 

“I hope the food is good,” Victor teased Mila. 

She giggled and nodded her head. “They come highly recommended.”


	21. Chapter 21

The ballroom was the only other place Georgi had pointed out and had pointedly not entered earlier on their tour. He had apologized and explained that everything was off limits until the party. Victor hadn’t been too worried about it. The large wooden doors that had been closed were now thrown open and a bright light shown from inside. 

The space was huge. 

There were hundreds of people in the space, and even realizing that the space still made the number appear to be very miniscule. 

Victor’s eyes tried to take in everything. 

A floral smell hit his nose. It was reminiscent of the one that Mila had in her manor. 

“Phichit did it.” Mila took a deep breath, shutting her eyes as she squeezed Victor’s arm. 

“Huh?” Victor blinked at her, momentarily distracted from searching the room. 

“Phichit said he would fill the space and make it smell like flowers for me,” Mila explained. 

Victor smiled. “Yuuri and Phichit are really something aren’t they.” 

“Of course they are. Without them, the security and even the vendors here would be troublesome for us. They arranged and vetted every single person you see here. All to make sure that Mila’s announcement party was remembered fondly.” Georgi breathed in the air and turned to look to Mila motioning for her to continue inside. 

Victor let his eyes wander around the large space. Towards one side of the room, there were tables set up and a large amount of food with people walking around with trays of drinks. In the middle of the beautiful wooden floor was a dance stage with a DJ set up in front of it. There was no one there right now, but the dancing would probably start as people drank more. 

There were large windows all around the space and flowing curtains on either side of each window. They were a plush gold color to complement the dark oak. Victor’s eyes wandered on the other side of the room to where people stood mingling. 

“Oh! Yuuri got the quartet I asked for.” 

Behind the quartet was a large area filled with white and pink roses, red carnations, and baby's breath. 

This was the most sophisticated room Victor had ever been in. 

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Mila bragged. 

“Yeah,” Victor agreed as he let Mila pull him around. Georgi followed at a much more leisurely pace. That is until he saw a young woman, and he broke off from Victor and Mila. Victor watched him leave as he was tugged by Mila towards a group of younger looking people. 

The girl who had been at the meeting immediately perked up as she turned around. “Mila!” 

Mila dropped Victor’s arm and immediately threw her arms around the young woman as she rushed towards her. “Sara! I’m so glad to see you back from Italy so soon.” 

“I wouldn’t miss this party for the world. You know that! I have plans to be here as long as you need me,” Sara assured Mila, her eyes wandered to Victor as she smiled warmly at him.

Stepping around Mila, Sara offered her hand. “You must be Victor. I’ve heard a lot about you for the last couple of weeks. It’s nice to finally get to meet you in person.” 

Victor was definitely out of his depth. 

Why hadn’t Yuuri and Phichit thought to teach him anything about manners and how to approach situations with different people? 

They hadn’t started to teach him things yet at all. They had been so busy taking care of his health that Victor was going to end up dying of embarrassment. Reaching out, Victor took her hand and thinking about one of the movies he had seen at the orphanage he leaned down and brushed his lips over her knuckles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sara. Any friend of Mila’s is a friend of mine.” 

Sara blushed darkly as she looked to Mila and Mila grinned. “Friend, huh? Is that what you are Sara?” 

“Well, apparently so since it appears you hadn’t told Victor about us,” Sara teased her partner. 

Victor felt his cheeks flush as dark as Sara’s. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to assume that you two weren’t-” 

Sara waved him off. “It’s okay. We’ve been together about three years now, much to my brother’s dismay.” 

“Speaking of-” Mila warned, her lips curling into a teasing smile. 

“Who are you and why are you talking to my sister?” The young man who had spoken up at the meeting, Yakov had called him Michele, stomped over his hands thrown out as he squared off with Victor. A young man with messy looking dirty blond hair and a line of facial hair around his jaw trailed after him with a large smile on his face. Behind him, Guang Hong Ji and Leo meandered over. 

“I’m Victor, and I was just saying it was nice to meet her?” Victor turned and looked at Mila who shrugged and smiled stepping up into his space again. 

Michele growled and shoved his finger into Victor’s chest. “You bet it’s nice to meet her. Don’t try and steal her from Mila or there will be hell to pay.” 

“Aww Micky! That’s first time I think I’ve heard you speak up for Mila,” Sara cooed as she leaned against her brother’s side. His cheeks flushed as he turned himself away from Victor and sulkily towards his sister. 

“Well of course! I can deal with Mila stealing you, but only because she’s scary when she’s mad,” Michele grumbled. 

“I think Yuri would probably agree,” Victor told Mila who smiled sweetly at Michele causing the young man to shudder. 

“So you may have introduced yourself to Sara, but the rest of us have absolutely no idea who you are.” The man next to Michele spoke up, stroking his beard with a small grin on his face. It sounded like he was teasing, but Victor couldn’t be sure. 

“Emil Nekola. He is friends with Sara and Michele, and so he’s become quite close to me,” Mila introduced him. 

Emil held out his hand and he grabbed Victor’s squeezing gently. “It’s nice to meet you. Ah-?” 

“Victor. Victor Nikiforov,” Victor introduced himself. 

“Victor Nikiforov. I don’t think I’ve heard that name before.” Guang Hong Ji touched his fingertips to his lips, his cheeks flushed as he smiled up at Victor. 

“Victor, this is Guang Hong Ji and his partner Leo De Iglesia. As you know, they are two of my friends that I’ve grown up spending time with.” Victor reached out and shook both Leo and then Guang Hong Ji’s hands. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Victor,” Leo greeted with an easy smile. 

Victor smiled and nodded as he relaxed into the small group he found himself surrounded by. They were all so _young_. How could these people who seemed so full of life be some of the people who would lead crime organizations? 

Maybe things weren’t so bad after all. 

The warnings from Phichit, Yuuri, Mila and Georgi almost seemed unfounded. Not that Victor would say that out loud, but he definitely thought that they were being overprotective. 

“So exactly who are you affiliated with Victor?” Guang Hong Ji asked politely. 

“He’s Yuuri Katsuki’s ward. He has a little brother as well that Yuuri has adopted,” Mila answered for him, taking some of the pressure that came with that question. He hadn’t thought about what he would tell others, but it appeared that Mila had him covered. 

“Are you serious? Katsuki’s ward?” Michele scrunched up his nose, and he and Sara exchanged confused looks. 

The same look was passed around the group before Leo shook his head with a chuckle. “Forgive us Victor. Yuuri Katsuki is very well known amongst all of us. After all, we all grew up travelling around to meet the other families, but Yuuri more than most.” 

Victor bit the inside of his lip and let an easy smile grace his features. 

Smile, be charming even if you don’t feel like doing so, Victor reminded himself. No one liked a standoffish man, if he wasn’t careful now that people linked him to Yuuri he could really mess up things for the other. 

He didn’t want to be more of a burden than he was already. 

“What is Katsuki like with you?” Emil asked as he rocked up onto the tips of his toes and back. 

Michele glared at him and smacked him on the arm. “Stay still. Can’t you exhibit even a little gentlemanly spirit here?” 

Emil folded his arms behind his head with a roguish grin. “Sorry.” 

Victor felt his lips pull into a smile. Emil didn’t look sorry at all. 

Michele grumbled and shook his head as winced when Sara slapped him on the shoulder. He quieted down and sulked between Sara and Emil. 

“Well, I don’t know much about him myself since this arrangement just happened a little over a month ago, but I do know that Yuuri is kind,” Victor murmured. 

He shifted uncomfortably under the gazes of the people around him and Mila nodded. “Out of all of us here, Georgi and I spent the most time with him. I’ve always thought Yuuri was very kind.” 

“He was always a little distant from us I guess. That’s why we want to know more about him and to see if some of the stories we’ve heard are true,” Leo explained. 

“What stories?” Victor asked looking at the others around him. 

Leo and Guang Hong Ji exchanged looks. 

Mila stepped forward. “Before we get into stories about a man that has yet to arrive, why don’t we relocate and have some food and drink? After all we spent a lot of money to make sure everyone had plenty.” 

“That sounds like a great idea! Come on Micky!” Emil grabbed Michele by the arm and tugged Micky with him towards the other side of the ballroom. Sara smiled and wrapped her arm around Victor’s other arm as Mila wrapped herself around his left. They escorted him towards the food with Guang Hong and Leo taking up the rear. 

As they moved, Victor found himself looking at the people that weren’t currently on their side of the room. There were several smaller groups of people who had spread themselves out and seemed to be keeping to themselves and their small groups. Victor turned towards Mila and she looked up at him. “Is something wrong?” 

“I was just wondering if everyone is allied, then why aren’t the others interacting like you are?” Victor asked. 

“There are several alliance groups here that their bosses sent them to make an appearance for the party, but they typically don’t have any reason they think to mingle.” Mila answered as she squeezed Victor’s arm reassuringly. 

“Also, sometimes Yakov ends up inviting prospective groups to the alliance. Tonight there are around five or six families that are not part of the alliance, but they may end up wanting to join,” Sara added with a smile. 

“Then there is also people like Seung Gil and Otabek that don’t really interact because they don’t need to,” Leo answered with a small smile. 

“I do kind of wish that Otabek would spend some time with us,” Mila sighed as she let go of Victor and moved over to grab a small plate to pile a few pieces of dessert and fruit onto it. 

Coconut...Vanilla Cake...Cream Puffs...Strawberries...There was everything on the table within Victor’s grasp. There was everything he could have imagined. A woman stood to the side demonstrating and using a torch to melt the sugar on the top of creme brulee before handing it off to one of the guests with a spoon. 

“Have whatever you want Victor. Don’t be shy,” Mila urged. 

Sara smiled biting off the end of a strawberry. Michele looked strangely faint as his sister turned back to Mila and licked her lower lip. “Speaking of people I would love to talk to more, I would _love_ to talk to Seung Gil. He’s so hard to approach.” 

“Who is Seung Gil?” Victor asked. 

“He’s the son of one of the most influential Kkang-Pae in Seoul. He’s around our age, but he acts about twice as old.” Guang Hong Ji pressed his fork into the soft cake and nibbled on the piece on his fork. 

“I see.” Victor nodded and let his eyes slide around the walls. There were a few more younger people closer to their age, but not close enough that they would be mistaken for being there to socialize.

“Oh, Victor. It looks like Yuuri and Phichit just arrived!” Mila called out to him.


	22. Chapter 22

The party had already been underway for about a half an hour when Yuuri and Phichit finally made their way inside. Yuuri stopped in front of a mirror and tugged at his tie, adjusting it, putting his hands down and then reaching up to adjust it all over again. 

Phichit shook his head and chuckled. “Stop messing with your tie.” 

Gentle fingers landed on the shoulders of his jacket as Phichit turned him around and adjusted his tie for him. Slapping his hands on his shoulders once more, he grinned. “There. Don’t mess with it again. It’s perfect.” 

“Is this like the last time we went to a large banquet?” Yuuri asked, raising both his eyebrows. 

“This is nothing like that.” Phichit gasped and puffed out his cheeks. 

Yuuri rolled his eyes and looked down fiddling with his gloves. He didn’t understand style, but Phichit had insisted the gloves went with his outfit and that it was a fashion statement that they didn’t cover the lower part of his palm. 

It had taken him a bit of time to get used to them, but he only wore them for special occasions anyway. 

“Stop fiddling. You’re stalling,” Phichit warned him softly as he nudged Yuuri to start moving again. 

Reluctantly, Yuuri put one foot in front of the other and headed towards the ballroom. 

“Do you think anyone will notice we just got here?” Yuuri asked Phichit. 

Phichit rolled his eyes. “Oh come on. We helped _plan_ this, and it’s not like we could come to the paper signing, so this is as good time as any to come in. Besides, I’m sure everyone will be so busy that they won’t notice us slip into mingle.” 

Stepping inside the ballroom, people turned and looked at him. Had it been any other time, Yuuri might have flinched and stepped back, but right now it was time to work. 

“Yuuri, it’s so nice for you to make it.” Yakov was the first to come up and greet him with an outstretched hand, his other curled around a champagne flute. The elder man’s cheeks were already tinged a slight pink. 

Yuuri reached out grasping his hand briefly. “Sorry we were late.” 

Yakov waved his hand. “It’s fine. The party's just getting started and will probably run long enough for you to enjoy yourselves after you go greet everyone.” 

Phichit grinned from beside him. “There is a dance floor.” 

Yuuri bit back a smile. “You planned that yourself. Of course there’s a dance floor.” 

“A dance floor that no one is dancing on yet.” Phichit pouted. 

“Give it time and I’m sure someone will get drunk enough to break the ice,” Yuuri assured his assistant with a small nod. 

Phichit turned and looked around the room. “There are a lot of unfamiliar faces.” 

“Yes, requests to join the alliance have been coming in. I vetted these men myself.” Yakov nodded in the direction of several small pockets of men. Yuuri frowned but nodded. If they had been in private, he would have explained his reservations but now all they could do was run interference and keep the guards vigilant. 

“Sounds very entertaining! Now we still have to make our rounds but we’ll be back to chat in a little while,” Phichit answered for Yuuri as he clasped his best friend on the shoulder. 

Yakov nodded. “Understandable. I’ll let you mingle and do what you need to. Later we can break away and have a conversation about your kids.” 

Yuuri nodded and let Phichit steer him away from the head of the Bratva. 

There was too much to discuss and definitely not enough time right now at the party to do so. After all, they would have to work out something between them about the couple of days that Yuuri would have to leave Victor and Yuri in Russia. Picking a fight about a few unfamiliar faces probably wasn’t worth it at the moment. 

“Come on, Yuuri.” Phichit kept him on task as Yuuri nodded and followed after him. 

“What was he thinking?!” Yuuri muttered as quietly as he could, eyes dancing from person to person. The people in the alliance he knew would be on their best behavior. It was what made parties like this work but inviting others outside of that was adding an element of unknown adding fuel to an open flame. 

“I know. It’ll be okay. There are more allies than others,” Phichit pointed out, lips set in a grim line. 

“Mr. Katsuki! I heard you would be attending!” An older man who was slightly balding and spoke with a thick Russian accent approached him. 

Before the man could get to Yuuri, Phichit stepped in front of him with a bright smile, taking his hand in both of his. “Hello! It’s nice to meet you. I’m Phichit Chulanont, Mr. Katsuki’s assistant.” 

The man looked off put for a split second before he relaxed and released Phichit’s hand. 

“I’m not sure we’ve met before.” Phichit was always good about making sure he was comfortable. He didn’t like people suddenly approaching that he didn’t know, and while Phichit was only running interference it gave Yuuri a slightly standoff-ish air around him which tended to intimidate others. 

The man took a step towards him and Yuuri tipped his chin up. “Is there something we can help you with, sir?” 

“Oh. Yes! I’ve known Yasha for a long time. He told me about how beneficial the alliance has been. I was wondering if there was some way that we could meet and go over the criteria to be permitted to enter in the alliance,” the man babbled. Yuuri listened patiently and then he quietly stepped around the man. 

“Mr. Katsuki! I’ve heard that the Feltsman Bratva are the only Russian group. Don’t you think that’s a little biased. When I brought that up to Yasha he said I could talk and plead my case.” The man made to follow him, but again Phichit stepped in his way with a small smile. 

The man narrowed his eyes and stepped forward leaning over Phichit’s shoulder. “How can I discuss it if you move away?!” 

Several people had turned around and were now staring. Instead of continuing to walk away, Yuuri sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose, turning to level the man with an unimpressed stare. “Since you have decided to try and have this discussion here on a night of celebration, I’ll keep the business brief.” 

Yuuri took a step towards Phichit and then the man as he held up his hand, “To be in the alliance there are different credentials you need. One, you need a written recommendation. Three people from within the alliance must interview you. Then you go through a character background check and a financial background check. You have to report what type of business you are in.” 

Phichit stepped to the side as Yuuri advanced and continued to tick off the criteria, holding up his other hand. “Then you have to go through a very strenuous vetting process by my family. Forensic accounting, history with police, then Phichit and I visit. If you go through all of this you still may not be approved.” 

Yuuri took a few more steps forward. “Very few people make it through the first couple steps of the process, but almost no one who doesn’t know tact and the difference between pleasure and business makes it through.” 

The man took a step back as Yuuri dropped his hands and Phichit moved to his side. The man looked positively chastised, his lips pursed as he trembled with barely restrained anger. Yuuri tipped his head up and stared at him through the lenses of his glasses. “Tonight, I’d like to relax. If you’d like to discuss anything to do with the alliance, I suggest you take Phichit’s card and talk to me when I am doing business.” 

Phichit held out a card to the older man between his pointer and index finger with a grin. “Thank you!” 

Several of the onlookers turned back to their own small groups and continued to chat, ignoring as Yuuri passed. If any of the strangers in the room thought it would be a good time to try and flatter him or talk about the alliance, they were wrong. 

“Wow, you didn’t even pretend to listen to him.” Phichit smiled at his friend as they continued a slow walk of the perimeter of the room. 

“I can’t let people think that we are an easy group to come into. I won’t be the weak link in a chain that breaks and sends everything tumbling down,” Yuuri answered with a brief smile as he turned back to look at the flowers. 

“You know, taking a look at everything finally assembled, we did a good job.” Phichit reached out his fingers brushing over one of the white roses as he leaned in to smell the flower. Yuuri watched him and then turned to look at the quartet set up in the corner. It had been a request from Yakov that the older people have some music for them the first two hours. 

They had been able to compromise with Mila to bring a quartet in. 

It had been a good choice after all. 

“Well things seem in order on this side of the room.” Phichit waved to a few familiar faces and he perked up. 

“Yuuri! Look!” Phichit grabbed his wrist and pulled his attention from his and Otabek’s silent conversation from across the room. Otabek gave him a thumbs up and leaned back against the wall next to one of the windows. 

Yuuri made a mental note to hunt him down later. After all, he would be staying with him in the next six or seven months depending on how things in Korea went. 

“ _Yuuri!_ ” Phichit hissed, tugging on his arm like an excited kid. 

“What is it?” Yuuri turned to Phichit with a frown. 

Phichit jerked his head in the direction of the dance floor. Mila was walking towards them, moving with purpose with a few of her friends behind her. She marched towards them dragging a man by the crux of his arm. 

Wait. 

_Wait._

“Victor?” Yuuri felt his composure slip as Mila stopped in front of them, tugging Victor to stand before her, a smirk on her lips and glint in her eye. She knew _exactly_ what she was doing. 

Victor looked _stunning_. The suit and the way Mila had braided his hair made him look even more beautiful if that was even possible. 

Phichit whistled playfully. “Victor you look absolutely handsome. Doesn’t he, Yuuri?” 

He had heard the words, but they didn’t quite register in his brain. 

Yuuri, the big bad negotiator, was fucked. 

\----

Victor hadn’t been paying attention to people coming and leaving until Mila had said something to him. At the mention of Yuuri and Phichit, his head shot up as he turned to look at the two as they entered and Yakov moved over to speak to them both. 

But it wasn’t _his_ Yuuri or Phichit. 

Phichit was more recognizable with his bangs swept back out of his face, in a three piece suit with a lime green tie making the black less formal and boring. He looked like a foreign prince had stepped into the room. Several people around them turned to give the two attention before going back into their own conversations. 

Yuuri definitely looked different. His hair was gelled back, a few bangs falling down towards his forehead. He wore a pair of glasses that were sleek with black frames instead of the larger blue ones he wore when he worked. The suit was fit against his slender frame, tight in all the right places. Victor felt himself go weak in the knees however as soon as he saw the pair of black leather riding gloves on his hands. 

Yuuri was absolutely handsome. 

Mila smiled and grabbed him by the arm. “Come on!” 

“What! No. I couldn’t,” Victor protested as he saw a man approach Yuuri. Instead of the easy smile he was used to, Yuuri stepped around him and continued on until the other man reached out to him and Phichit moved between them. 

Everyone was watching but not _watching_ as Yuuri put the man in his place and went on to inspect the quartet and the flowers on the other side of the large ballroom. 

“He’ll be happy to see you. Let’s go. I didn’t spend hours doing your hair for you not to show it off,” Mila teased him as she tugged him forward. 

“Hey, wait for us!” Emil called to Mila as the small group Victor found himself a part of moved with him and Mila. She was definitely the ringleader of the younger mafia groups, or at least it appeared so at parties. 

Phichit saw them first, his eyes widening as his lips split into a knowing smirk as he tugged on Yuuri’s arm. Yuuri’s nose scrunched and he turned and said something to his friend. 

“Look!” Phichit grinned as he motioned towards Victor, and the teen felt like his heart stopped in his throat when Yuuri’s eyes locked with his. 

He was stuck. 

“Victor.” Yuuri’s voice was soft, his eyes narrowed as he took in his appearance. Victor squirmed and Mila nudged him a step ahead of her. 

Yuuri took his time looking from head to toe and back up again. “That’s a good look on you. It suits you.” 

Reaching out, Yuuri gripped Victor’s chin in his hand as he stepped closer and turned his head to the side. “The hairstyle is lovely. You look beautiful.” 

Victor’s brain short circuited at the compliment as his cheeks flushed and he opened his lips to try and say something. 

As quick as the touch had come, it was gone and Yuuri reached out for Mila as she offered her hand to him. He lowered his head and kissed her knuckles and then her palm. “You look beautiful tonight, Mila. Thank you for taking care of Victor and making him comfortable. I definitely owe you a few dinners.” 

Mila smiled and Sara stepped up. “If you are issuing compliments, I want to be next, Yuuri.” 

A wry smile light up Yuuri’s features as he nodded to her and reached for her hand. “It’s always nice to see you Sara. You’ve become even more beautiful since the last time I saw you.” 

Sara giggled and winked at him. “You look just as handsome as always.” 

Michele squirmed uncomfortably, his teeth clenched. Emil nudged past him. “Yuuri. How are you? It’s been about a year since I last saw you.” 

“I’ve been fine. Busy as always. Though with this being the subject of work, it was definitely better than what I normally deal with,” Yuuri answered. 

Phichit moved behind them to embrace Guang Hong Ji and Leo around their necks, both men hugging him in return. “Congratulations to you two. I know you’ll be wonderful parents, and definitely picking Mila as your surrogate was great. Your kid is going to be a spit fire!” 

“We hope so. We love Mila, and we know we’ll love this baby too,” Guang Hong Ji demurred as he pulled himself away from Phichit’s grip. 

Victor watched all of this quietly, feeling as if he was seeing something that he probably shouldn’t be. Yuuri turned and looked to him with a small smile. “You seem to be in good hands. Enjoy the rest of the night. I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Phichit?” Yuuri called quietly. 

His partner grabbed Leo’s hands in his. “You and I will catch up later when we are done making our rounds. You know Yuuri is a slave driver!” 

“Yes. Yuuri, you and I need to talk about when you plan to go to Detroit. Celestino and Otabek need a timeline,” Leo reminded him. 

“How are they doing with your absence?” Yuuri asked. 

Leo smiled. “Both are doing just fine. I’m glad that I have close subordinates that can run things as Guang Hong Ji and I split our time between China and America.” 

Yuuri nodded and then turned back to Victor. “Be safe.” 

Victor watched as Phichit and Yuuri slipped away and before they had stepped too far away from the group another person approached the group. He was definitely Korean if Victor had to bet. 

Mila nudged Victor. “Let him work. Now that Seung Gil has him, he’ll be occupied for a while.” 

Victor felt his heart clench in his chest again as he turned away. 

“Hey Victor. I wanted to hear more about your little brother Mila talked about earlier.” Emil asked as he threw an arm around his shoulders nearly knocking Victor over. 

“Yes! You need to tell them about Yuri.” Mila’s pleasant smile turned a little predatory. 

“How about I tell them about the first time Yuri and I met you?” Victor suggested. 

“Oh? This should be good!” Michele called lazily as they all moved towards one of the large unoccupied tables. 

Victor let the sulkiness slip off of him as he smiled brightly. “So there I was sitting in the living room minding my own business when-”


	23. Chapter 23

“Yuuri.” Yuuri heard his name called and turned to face the person that called out to him, a small smile slipping onto his lips. Of course the voice belonged to none other than Seung Gil Lee. 

“Seung Gil. It’s been a while.” Yuuri nodded his head and reached out clasping Seung Gil’s hand in his own. 

Seung Gil squeezed his hand and nodded, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. “It would have been sooner had you not been detained in Russia on your new project.” 

Hearing Yuri and Victor referred to as projects caused him to wince. “More of a selfish request then a project if anything.” 

“They are adorable Seung Gil! Do you see the one with the grey hair with Mila? That’s Victor. Isn’t he pretty?” Phichit greeted Seung Gil with a small smile and a half wave. Seung Gil briefly turned his eyes towards Victor and the others and then back to Yuuri. 

“Is that your type now?” Seung Gil chuckled though Yuuri knew he was anything but pleased. 

“I don’t see anything in him like that,” he told the young boss. 

“Oh, then who do you see something in?” Seung Gil raised an eyebrow. 

“Trust me, you’ll be the first to know,” Phichit teased Seung Gil. 

Yuuri felt the tension rising between Seung Gil and Phichit. It was the last thing that he needed at a time like this. Clearing his throat he turned to look at Phichit. “Could you grab me a glass of champagne, please?” 

Phichit rolled his eyes and smiled. “Of course. I’ll take my time. As usual.” 

Phichit spun on his heel. Yuuri stepped closer to Seung Gil and felt a hand press at his lower back. “Let’s go sit somewhere. I have a lot to talk to you about.” 

“I wanted to apologize that my request seems to be throwing off my timeline as far as making it to Seoul. I promise I will speak to your father and see if any reparations need to be made,” Yuuri murmured as they found a smaller table. 

Seung Gil shook his head slowly. “Don’t worry about that. Your sister called and already talked to my father. He finds her refreshingly honest, and he’s always had a soft spot for you.” 

Yuuri smiled gratefully to his friend and nodded. 

“Just know that Mal might not be as forgiving,” Seung Gil told him honestly. 

“Mal will forgive me if I bring her a bone or treats.” Yuuri chuckled and shook his head and leaned back into his seat. 

“We will have a lot to do when you come in. It’s time for renegotiation with the local police. We want you to sit in on it and use your skills.” Seung Gil watched Yuuri waiting to see if he was going to object. 

“What else do we need to do? If I have a better understanding, I can have Phichit bring anything I may have missed with him.” Yuuri prompts with a nod. 

Seung Gil’s lips twitched up as he nodded. “I was hoping after that we could go through our accounting and get the estate in order.” 

“Is something wrong?” Yuuri felt a pang of concern jolt through him as he leaned closer over the table. 

“We don’t have to talk about it tonight. Father just wants things in order. He’s getting older-” Seung Gil’s voice trailed off as he tipped his head towards Phichit’s approaching figure. 

 

Phichit slid up to the table with a champagne glass in each hand as he smiled and handed one to Yuuri and then turned looking to Seung Gil as he took a sip of the glass in his hand, a cocky smirk on his lips. Yuuri fought the urge to roll his eyes as Seung Gil tipped his head up a fraction before he stood, hand on the table. 

“Maybe we should go outside away from prying ears and eyes. This may be an alliance event, but I noticed that there are people here that don’t need to overhear our business.” Seung Gil offered. 

Phichit took another small sip of his champagne with a smirk. “We haven’t finished greeting everyone.” 

“You just greeted several people in one go with Mila and her followers,” Seung Gil pointed out blandly. 

Phichit scoffed. “Followers? They’re all friends.” 

“Are there really friends in this place or just ties that make it impossible for someone to attack another in this instance?” Seung Gil Lee shrugged and Yuuri bit the inside of his lip as he watched Phichit scrunch his nose and look to Yuuri for help. 

But…

“This is part of my job as well. Of course I would love to discuss this more. Would you like to step onto the balcony?” Yuuri asked, his fingers holding the stem of the glass lightly as he brought his own glass to his lips. 

Seung Gil turned his attention back from Phichit onto Yuuri. “Of course. It would be my pleasure.” 

Yuuri slid out of his chair and pushed it under the table. 

“Yuuri…” Phichit whined plaintively at his friend, reaching out for him. 

“It’s okay. We’ll talk and I’ll come back and continue greeting the others. If anything, this means that you can go catch up with Leo and Guang Hong.” Yuuri nodded to the group that had moved to sitting down. 

Yuuri’s attention was caught by Victor who seemed to have the whole group in the palm of his hand. Everyone’s attention was on him as he made a motion of lifting something above his head and then the table erupted into the laughter and- 

“They are rather distracting.” Seung Gil remarked as he gently took the glass from Yuuri taking a large enough drink to finish up the small amount left. 

Phichit turned his attention to Seung Gil and then to Yuuri. Yuuri nodded and tipped his head towards the group. “I’ll be with Seung Gil, if anything happens we’ll be fine.” 

“If you say so.” Phichit shrugged and with a half wave, he moved towards the other group. 

Yuuri stepped close to Seung Gil and the other gently guided him towards the large doors that were slightly ajar. Slipping outside, Yuuri was thankful for the gloves and the suit jacket as the cold wind bit at his exposed skin. Seung Gil took in a slow breath and shook his head. “I couldn’t imagine staying here for too long.” 

“It’s not so bad once you’ve gone through it a few times.” Yuuri shivered as the wind brushed past them. 

“I’ll take your word for it,” Seung Gil answered wryly as he reached into his suit and pulled out a small gold retainer. Clicking it open, he offered the open cigarette case to Yuuri who took one of the slender cigarettes. 

He didn’t normally smoke but didn’t refuse on the rare occasion he was offered one. Yuuri had promised himself he would never smoke as much as Mari, but once and awhile when connected with work he did. 

The first time he had done so in Mari’s presence at a meeting, she had nearly died of shock. 

Seung Gil snapped the case shut, and he pulled out a lighter from his pocket handing it to Yuuri who light his cigarette and handed it back. Sliding it back into his pocket, Seung Gil turned to look at the estate grounds, his hands pushed into his pockets. 

“I was a bit jealous to hear that someone had finally captured your attention,” Seung Gil admitted softly. 

Yuuri inhaled the cigarette smoke and held in his mouth for a second before blowing it out. He watched as the wisps of grey smoke danced and faded into the air above them. “He’s just a kid. No matter what he can’t understand the weight of choices he makes right now when he gives himself over to a person completely like that.” 

Seung Gil was silent as Yuuri took a few more puffs of the cigarette. 

“You aren’t Dr. Asano and Victor is not Tomoe,” Seung Gil stated, shifting to turn and face Yuuri. Yuuri flinched and bit down on the cigarette filter a little bit harder than was probably necessary. 

“I won’t let that happen around me, and I won’t be party to it,” Yuuri insisted. 

“He won’t be young forever,” Seung Gil pointed out. 

Yuuri turned his head to face him, and Seung Gil reached out gently drawing the cigarette from his lips. Yuuri let him and Seung Gil took a puff and handed back the cigarette to Yuuri. 

Exhaling the smoke from his mouth, he stepped close to Yuuri, his hand coming up to stroke his cheek. “Take all of your mixed up feelings and focus all of that energy on me.” 

Yuuri let his eyes slide shut as he huffed. “You make it sound so easy.” 

“It can be. Stay in Korea for an extended time,” Seung Gil offered as he leaned forward his lips inches from Yuuri’s. 

“You know I can’t do that.” Yuuri took another drag off the cigarette, turning his face to the side. The stars were out, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Had they been anywhere else and didn’t have their backgrounds then it would have been a perfect evening. 

“I wonder if the two young boys you have taken in are going to get in the way with your work. You’ve always been so unbiased, will that change?” Seung Gil whispered quietly, his thumb brushing over Yuuri’s lower lip as he leaned forward. 

“It’s not like that,” Yuuri whispered, smoke exited his mouth with each word. 

Before anything else could be said, Seung Gil leaned forward covering Yuuri’s lips with his own. Yuuri let his eyes shut and let himself get lost in the moment. 

\-----

He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Victor had gotten lost. 

They had left the tables and had moved closer to the dance floor. The people around them had consumed enough alcohol now to put the dance floor to use. Mila had grabbed both Sara and Victor and led them onto the dance floor. He had been sandwiched between both women one moment and then the next he was pressed up between two men that were just a little bigger than he was. 

“Hello, gorgeous,” one purred in his ear, his breath stinking of beer and cigarettes. 

Victor scrunched his nose up and squirmed out from between them. The men laughed and closed the gap where his body had been. 

He ended on the outside of the group instead of the inside dancing with Sara and Mila. Turning his back to the dance floor, Victor tried to find familiar faces. Just when he thought when he had made friends and could recognize some of them, obviously he needed more practice in that instance. 

Taking a deep breath, he tried to find someone familiar that he could hold onto until Mila or Georgi could come get him. 

He didn’t have to wait long. 

“Victor?” Phichit’s voice broke through the turmoil he was feeling. Spinning around, he smiled at the other and took a few quick steps up to one of the people he was closest to in the whole room. 

But where Phichit was normally Yuuri wasn’t far behind. 

Looking around, he turned back to look at Phichit. “Where’s Yuuri?” 

Phichit shook his head with a small smile. “He’s with Seung Gil on the balcony. They’re talking about work matters since that’s where Yuuri is going after we finish here and go home for a small vacation.” 

Work matters. 

“Is that all Yuuri does? He works at the hotel, and he works here as well.” Victor sighed as he stepped towards Phichit’s side. 

Phichit smiled at him and shook his head slowly. “Come on, let’s find Mila.” 

The older man turned placing the side of his hand flat against his forehead as he turned around and slowly started to look from one pocket of people to the next. Victor watched Phichit for a second before he let his own eyes wander over the guests. His eyes landed on the glass doors towards the balcony. 

They were open so it wasn’t like it was a private space. Victor could see Yuuri and Seung Gil speaking between puffs of a shared cigarette. Looking back towards Phichit he seemed to have zoned in on Leo who had come over. Both were locked in a quiet conversation that Victor could hardly hear over the thumping beats of the music. 

The lights had been dimmed so that the laser lights that the DJ had brought could be utilized to the fullest on the large ceiling and walls. 

It was the perfect opportunity to slip away and get closer to Yuuri and Seung Gil. 

Taking advantage of Leo distracting Phichit, Victor quietly slid away under the flashing lights and loud bass thumping in the floor underneath him towards the balcony. The air inside the ballroom was a little hotter than he had realized as a fresh breeze blew through the door keeping the immediate area around the doors chilly. 

As such, no one but Victor was standing close to the doorway. 

No one was watching as Seung Gil and Yuuri got closer and closer, and no one definitely saw as Seung Gil pulled Yuuri into a kiss. The cigarette fell from Yuuri’s fingertips onto the concrete of the balcony floor smoldering between the men. 

Victor felt his heart stop in his chest as he saw Yuuri wrap one arm around Seung Gil’s waist pulling him closer. His cheeks flushed as Seung Gil tipped his head to the side just so, their kiss turning from chaste to something much deeper and dirtier than anything he had seen outside of the streets at night. 

The shock was not that Yuuri could kiss, but he was shocked Yuuri could kiss like _that_. 

Seung Gil’s hands wandered down Yuuri’s back, cupping his ass as he urged the other closer against his body. They broke the kiss. Yuuri’s face buried into the side of Seung Gil’s neck, his face blocked from Victor’s view. 

As if to sense that someone was watching them, Seung Gil tipped his head just a bit levelling his eyes on Victor’s as his lip turned up just a little at the corner. Then as if he were dismissing him, Seung Gil’s eyes turned back to his currently partner, his lips playing against his ear as he spoke in low tones. 

Victor’s body reacted before he could in two key ways. The first was that seeing Yuuri Katsuki, his self proclaimed guardian embracing someone so intimately made his member twitch in interest. The second reaction was when Seung turned away from him, his stomach dropped and he pivoted around scurrying away from the open door, his heart working overtime and adrenaline spiked. 

The night didn’t seem to be getting any better. As Victor turned to run away, he ran straight into the hard planes of another man’s chest. 

Thankfully, the stranger hadn’t been holding a glass of champagne. All Victor needed to do was cause a scene during Mila’s party. 

The man put a steadying two hands on Victor’s shoulders as he looked down at him. His hair was pulled back out of his face, and he couldn’t have been more than thirty. However, instead of looking normal and kind, the man had a scar that ran from right under his nose to the bottom of his chin. 

“Hello there, gorgeous. Where are you going to in a hurry?” the man cooed at him. The tone of voice he used made Victor cringe and he stepped back and held up his hands. 

The man let go of him but reached out and grabbed his wrist quicker than Victor could turn around and leave. “Wait. You bumped into me. Don’t you think you owe me some sort of apology?” 

An apology. That was the last thing the man wanted by the look in those dead black eyes. Victor felt a tremble run down his spine. 

Turning back towards the balcony, Victor tried to call out. “Yu-” 

The man drug him back into the shadows and clamped a hand over his mouth. “Shhhh sweetheart. How about you and I go somewhere more private and talk about how you can apologize to me?” 

The stranger was too strong for him. Had Victor been older and maybe stronger and not just come off of being malnourished and sick, he could have wiggled away, but the man’s vice-like grip shackled him in place as he was tugged nearly off his feet and to the exit. 

Victor tried to twist in his grip and wiggle, but the man clamped his mouth and jaw harder. “If you keep struggling, I’ll break your jaw.” 

It wasn’t just a threat. The pressure of the man’s hand as it gripped over his mouth was so strong that Victor could hear his jaw creaking in protest in his ears. He went lax in the man’s hold as he stranger tugged him out the door and into the darkened hallway. “Good boy.” 

Why hadn’t he listened? Yuuri, Phichit, Georgi, and Mila had _all_ warned him to stick close. 

He hadn’t seen the threat then, but he sure saw it now as the dim light from the ballroom faded along with most of the noise as he was dragged further and further down the hallway. Only the sound of his harsh breathing in his ears something he could hear over the thudding of his heart in his chest. 

_Yuuri_.


	24. Chapter 24

Yuuri pulled back from the kiss and buried his face into Seung Gil’s neck. The calming scent of chamomile grounded him like always. He took a deep breath and curled himself against his chest. 

While they were physical and took comfort in each other, that was all it could ever be. 

Seung Gil chuckled softly. “If I was the type of man who thought I could keep you locked up and with me forever, I definitely would, but if I did that you’d come to hate me forever.” 

“You know how my job works.” Yuuri sighed and pulled back to look at the other. The young man’s face was always passive, but if he looked closely enough into his eyes then he could see the gist of what Seung Gil wanted to say. 

“I’ll have to apologize to your ward when we see him later tonight.” Seung Gil stepped back, brushing his hand over his vest and tie. 

Yuuri raised an eyebrow. “What for?” 

“He just saw us.” Seung Gil motioned towards the open doors. 

True to his word, Yuuri caught a glimpse of silver hair as Victor scampered off. Yuuri’s head started to throb as he sighed and shook his head slowly. “We should probably go check on him. He’s not with Mila and-” 

“Yuuri!” Phichit’s slightly panicked voice cut through his words as he moved forward with Leo towards the balcony. Yuuri increased his pace as he moved to meet Phichit half way. 

“I found Victor, but then he ran off again. I was sure he had come to find you, but then Emil just said he saw someone drag Victor out of the ballroom.” Phichit turned and looked to Emil and Michele as they moved up both looking uncharacteristically grim. 

Yuuri felt his heart drop to his feet. “We need to find him.” 

Seung Gil stood by his side, his arms crossed over his chest, looking unimpressed as Mila and Georgi were the next to arrive. Mila winced as she saw Yuuri. “Yuuri, I’m sorry. We lost sight of him for one moment.” 

Yuuri shook his head. “All that matters is finding him.” 

Phichit broke off from everyone. “I’m going to tell Yakov.” 

Michele and Emil looked to each other. “We’ll go with Georgi, Leo, and Guang Hong Ji and look around the manor and the grounds.”

Sara moved up last, breathless as Mila grabbed her hand. “We will go inform the head of security.” 

With a plan put in place, Yuuri took a deep breath and bit the side of his thumb as his vision swam. This was why he hadn’t wanted Victor to be here. It was so easy for things to go wrong in their line of work and this was proving his fears right. 

We have to find him and make sure he’s safe, then we can explain everything to him if he hasn’t been scared away. 

“Yuuri, I just sent a text to several of my men in the manor. They said they saw a man down on the lower floor with a young boy with silver hair,” Seung Gil murmured to him grabbing him by the hand. 

Yuuri took a shaky breath and nodded, squeezing Seung Gil’s fingers. 

Stay in the moment. 

Keep grounded. 

Squeezing Seung Gil’s fingers once more, Yuuri took a breath and stood up straight. “Come with me. We are going to get Victor back and deal with a walking corpse.” 

Seung Gil dropped his hand and followed beside Yuuri as the other unbuttoned his jacket, the knife he had holstered on his left side ready to be used. 

\------

Victor’s back stung as it collided with some of the molding on the wall. He hissed narrowing his eyes at the man. The stranger pulled him from the wall and slammed him back against it, Victor’s head bouncing off the wall. 

He saw stars. 

His vision faded as the man licked his lips, leaning forward. “You’re far too pretty. I’ll have to thank Yakov the next time I see him for such a pretty morsel.” 

Victor squirmed trying to break free, but the man was too strong. 

His eyes widened as the man pawed at the front of his pants. The breath blown in his face made him dizzy and sick with fear as he felt the belt loosen and the button pop before the zipper was tugged down in quick harsh tugs. 

Victor pushed at his chest. “No!” 

The hand that had previously been curled in his suit jacket now slammed against his windpipe. 

“No? You don’t tell me no you little whore!” snarled the man. 

Victor choked and tried to kick his leg out, but the man brushed it off tightening his grip leering at him. “Just shut up and be a good boy and I won’t sell you to a crack house. You know what they’ll do? They’ll sell you out to the highest bidder and then that person will drug you up until you are just a hole to fuck.” 

His vision started to go black around the edges. 

“Pretty little mouth, wrapped around a old man’s cock. That’s all you’ll be unless you behave.” 

_Yuuri. Phichit. Mila...Please!_

Victor tried to pry the fingers from around his throat, but they only tightened more. It felt as if he was floating, his vision floating in and out as he felt his consciousness threaten to leave him. 

_Stay awake._

The other man must have been satisfied with his lack of movement. The hand on his throat loosened and a hand cupped him through his underwear. 

He was going to be sick. 

Then suddenly the hand paused its exploration and the man tensed against him. Something gleamed against the side of his neck, and Victor just stared up at the large man, eyes wide. 

It was a knife and it pressed hard against his neck. The man’s blood dribbled down towards where his shoulder and neck met. 

“Step away.” Yuuri’s voice cut through the air between them. It wasn’t the normal tone his guardian used when he was with Yuri and Victor at the hotel. 

No, even Victor could hear the anger just hidden by the words. 

“Fuck off.” The man tightened his fingers around Victor’s throat. 

Victor gagged and squirmed. 

“Don’t move,” the man growled. 

“For someone who wanted to be included in the alliance, I think you don’t know our first rule. You don’t touch people without their consent.” Yuuri dug the knife just a little deeper. 

“Yu-” 

Victor tried to call out to Yuuri, and the man glared at him shoving him against the wall. “Shut up!” 

“Unless you want to die where you stand, you’re going to take your hands off my charge.” Yuuri’s voice was so cold, calm, and commanding that the man’s grip faltered for a second. He tightened his fingers once more and then let go of Victor’s throat. 

Sputtering, Victor sank down to the floor coughing as his hand went up to his throat as he wheezed. 

Yuuri directed the other to slowly back away from Victor. Another person sank down next to him. 

It’s Seung Gil. The man looked him over and reached out directing Victor’s hand from his throat. He narrowed his eyes and looked up towards Yuuri. “Give him a thirty second head start.” 

“Why the fuck do you even care what happens to him? He’s obviously gagging for it,” the man stuttered as Yuuri tipped his head up behind them and narrowed his eyes. 

Victor watched as Yuuri pulled the knife away. “You heard Seung Gil. Thirty seconds. If you aren’t out of the manor by that time, you’ll be hunted and killed like the dog you are. The clock is ticking.” 

The man’s face paled as he waved his arms. “Why go through this for that bitch?” 

Yuuri tapped the face of the watch on his wrist. “Times ticking.” 

The man turned and stumbled down the hall. 

“Don’t move,” Seung Gil warned Victor as he continued to check him over. 

Victor sat numbly on the ground as Seung Gil pressed his fingers into the aching flesh of his neck. This was the man he had seen kiss Yuuri and though he wanted nothing more than to pull away, he knew better. This was a dangerous place, and now he knew why Yuuri had wanted him to stay away safe in the hotel. 

“How is he?” Yuuri asked quietly, squatting next to him, knife still in his hand. 

Seung Gil reached out, easing the knife out of Yuuri’s hand as he studied the knife and tucked it back into the holster as Yuuri reached out cupping Victor’s cheek. Victor heart nearly stopped as Yuuri sighed and leaned forward, pressing his forehead into his shoulder. “Thank goodness you’re safe.” 

The cold had drained from his voice giving way to the tone Victor was used to hearing. 

“Yuuri. I’m sorry,” Victor whispered, his voice wobbly as he tried not to cry.” 

“Don’t. You’re fine. That’s all that matters.” Yuuri cut him off, sitting back as he cupped Victor’s cheeks in his palms and tipped his head up to look at the damage on his neck. Just by the way that Yuuri pursed his lips as he studied his neck, he could tell there was visible damage. 

“I didn’t realize how close you were to Yakov.” Seung Gil stood up brushing off his clothing as he stared from Yuuri to Victor. Victor turned and looked at Yuuri who shrugged and stood up reaching his hand out for Victor to take. 

Victor allowed the older man to pull him up to his feet. 

“Can you stand by yourself?” Yuuri asked him quietly. 

Victor nodded. 

Satisfied, Yuuri turned to regard Seung Gil. 

“The knife was a gift when I came of age in his eyes.” Yuuri motioned to the holstered knife inside his jacket as he buttoned it back up. Victor tucked in his shirt, zipped up and buttoned his pants as he half listened. It was hard to hear them over the hammering of his heart in his head. 

He still didn’t feel safe. 

Seung Gil paused and whistled. It was a soft shrill noise that sent a shiver down his spine. As if appearing from the shadows, a man stepped forward. “You called, sir?” 

Seung Gil turned to the other man. “Find the bastard and take him to Yakov. It’s been well over thirty seconds.” 

“Yes sir.” The man vanished into the shadows once more leaving Victor with dread pooled in his stomach. 

What were they planning to do? 

Before he plucked up the courage to ask, Mila appeared at the end of the hallway, moving quickly towards them. Before Victor could react she threw herself at him, arms wrapping around his shoulders. 

“Mila! Be careful,” Yuuri warned her. 

Mila pulled back, eyes widening as she looked at his neck. She glanced up at him. Her lower lip trembled as she whispered fiercely. “I’m so sorry! I should have been there, but you weren’t there, and I couldn’t find you and this….” 

She cut herself off and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore, you’re safe. That’s the most important thing.” 

“Will you take him to the infirmary?” Yuuri asked her quietly.

“Let me do that, and Mila can go let Yakov know that Victor’s been found and that we have the man on the run.” Phichit piped up as he joined the growing crowd in the hallway. 

“I’m okay,” Victor protested. 

“No, you’re not.” Yuuri told him as he motioned for Phichit to take the other away from the group. Phichit gently grabbed Victor by his arm, and the other flinched as he pulled away. 

“Please don’t do anything crazy!” Victor called out. 

Yuuri turned away from him and back towards Seung Gil. 

“Phichit, please don’t let him do anything.” The hand on his elbow tightened just a fraction as Phichit shook his head slowly and tipped his chin up in the way they were going. 

Yuuri’s friend was usual so jovial. The silence between them was so strange, and the burning anger in Phichit’s eyes was more than enough to force Victor to shut his mouth. Victor allowed himself to be steered towards the stairs and up them to the third floor to a door labeled infirmary.


	25. Chapter 25

“Thank you for staying back,” Yuuri muttered as he walked slowly down the hall beside Seung Gil. 

His quiet ally shrugged. Yuuri shook his head and adjusted his glasses. “Really. If you would have been injured then things would have been even worse. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make him let go of Victor without a fight.” 

“I think between us both we could have killed him.” Seung Gil noted with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

“Not in front of Victor.” Yuuri sighed as they finally made their way back to where the party had been effectively shut down. All the non-alliance members had been forcefully tossed out, and now only the leaders and a few of their chosen men stood around. 

Seung Gil nodded. “That would have put him into the thick of everything whether you wanted him there or not.” 

Leo and Guang Hong Ji were the first to approach. “Is Victor okay? We didn’t mean to let him out of our sight.” 

“It’s okay. Victor is going to be fine. We found him just in time before any real harm could come to him.” Yuuri assured the others. The young leaders and next in line to be leaders all exchanged dark glances. 

_Look at the attachment to Victor they have already. He’s something else._

Yuuri sighed and motioned for them to all sit down. “We just have to wait for Yakov to summon us and we’ll see where this goes. Feel free to eat a little more before we all get down to business.” 

The air on the room had changed considerably, but most of the others mingled around in quiet groups waiting on the summons from their host to go take care of the unsightly problem that had blemished what was supposed to be a light celebration. 

It turned out, they didn’t have to wait long.

Mila moved inside, took a deep breath and called out, “Anyone who is in a position to lead, we need you down stairs.” 

No one hesitated. Everyone that had been summoned stood and followed her out with Yuuri and Seung Gil bringing up the rear. The rest of the people would be able to return back to the party or what was left of it. 

\----

The doctor looked Victor over and checked his neck, without really acknowledging him. The physician spoke to Phichit. “His windpipe is bruised.” 

Phichit sucked in a breath and nodded. 

Victor frowned and when he opened the mouth to speak the doctor held up his hand. “Don’t talk unless you have to. You might feel all right now, but that’s due to the adrenaline in your system. After you wake up tomorrow, you’re going to feel like you have the world's worst sore throat.” 

“So then there really isn’t anything we can give him?” Phichit asked, pacing behind Victor. 

“Over the counter pain medication and tea with honey, but that’s it. I’ll bandage his neck so he doesn’t draw attention.” The doctor turned grabbing a few bandages and working to make sure that Victor’s neck wasn’t completely on display. 

“Thank you.” Phichit spoke with a tight smile which made Victor feel even worse about everything. 

“I’ll hand in my report to Yakov. Someone will be shortly to summon you to take care of all this mess. Rest until then.” The old doctor nodded to them both before he let himself out and shut the door behind him. 

Victor trained his eyes on the door long after the doctor had disappeared and he could no longer hear the sound of his shoes on the tiled floor. 

“You are extremely lucky.” Phichit spoke up finally. Victor turned to stare at the other. 

Phichit was half resting on the foot of the exam table, fingers brushing over the padding there. 

“What do you mean lucky?” Victor uttered, hand reaching up to touch at the bandages hiding the worst of the bruising on his neck. 

“If Seung Gil hadn’t seen you watching him and Yuuri and Emil hadn’t seen that man drag you off, you would be drugged up and calling some man ‘daddy’ as you rode him right now.” Phichit answered with a matter of fact shrug. 

Victor felt a tremor run down his spine. “Don’t say it like that.” 

“It’s true. How else should I say it to make you realize the position you’re in?” Phichit snapped. It was unlike Phichit to be upset, but there he was hands clenched and his eyes focused on Victor. 

Victor shrank under his gaze. 

“Whether you like what you see or not, it must be shocking to know that man is going to end up dead because Seung Gil wants it. Yuuri will let him have what he wants because it involves a slight against you.” Victor’s heart dropped into his stomach like a stone. 

That man would die because of him. All because he couldn’t do what he had been asked to do and stay with Mila, Georgi, and the young leaders he had been acquainted with. 

He had seen Yuuri and followed him only to have his heart knocked around and now- 

“If it’s any consolation, one less disgusting person is going to walk the streets. One less kid will have someone trying to kidnap them.” That didn’t make Victor feel any better, but Phichit seemed more thoughtful as he stared at Victor. 

“No one can blame you for running off, but you should have ran towards someone you knew to lick your wounds. Think smarter, not harder.” Phichit tapped his finger on to his temple with a small rueful smile. 

“I never wanted anyone’s blood on my hands. If I ask him to, do you think Yuuri will stop?” Even though Victor already knew the answer, he wanted to try.

Phichit moved around the exam table and tapped his chin. “If you want the honest answer, which I think you do, then the answer is no. Not only did that man touch you and hurt you, but there is a _lot_ of baggage when it comes to older men preying on younger men for Yuuri.”

“So this runs deeper than just tonight.” Victor sighed as he leaned back on his forearms, the trembling and fear having mostly seeped out of his body. 

“Yeah, it does. So this has only the smallest connection to you, so don’t take it too hard.” Phichit patted him on the shoulder. Even with his amicable nature, Victor knew how to read people well enough to know that Phichit had more he wanted to say. 

There were lots of things that Phichit probably wanted to say. 

“Does Yuuri really even want to have a connection with me? I mean I know he wants to help me but-” Victor trailed off as he thought about the cold look in his eye. 

He also had seen the way Seung Gil was able to pull him close and kiss the other and there was no hesitation. It made his stomach drop and Victor had to sit up and lean over to keep the nausea from pushing up into his throat. 

Phichit rubbed his hand over his back. “He does. Just not the kind you want.” 

“But the way he looks at me-” Victor uttered between slow breaths. 

Phichit’s hand paused for a split second before he rubbed his hand soothingly up and down Victor’s back. “Yuuri is different and the way he forms relationships with others can be weird. His relationship with Seung Gil on his part is very much physical, and that’s how Yuuri connects with most people.” 

“If that’s the truth, then why did he push me away?” Victor asked quietly. 

Phichit shook his head, patting Victor on the back. “I told you. He has a thing with seeing older men preying on younger men. It bothers him. I can’t really tell you much more because I don’t know much more than that.” 

“But I’m able to consent,” Victor mumbled. 

“But maybe Yuuri isn’t.” Phichit pointed out as he moved to lean against one of the cabinets in front of Victor. 

Victor blinked and slowly lifted his head to study Phichit. The other folded his arms over his chest and stared back nonplussed. “What? You hadn’t thought of it like that?” 

“Well, no.” Victor admitted. 

“Yuuri is giving you something that he doesn’t give to almost anyone else. He’s trying to connect with you on an emotional level. This is the exact opposite of everyone else he deals with.” Phichit tapped his fingers along the wooden surface behind him. 

“Oh,” Victor uttered dumbly. 

“It finally clicked.” Phichit nodded, satisfied. 

“Yeah. I guess I should have thought about this more. Played it from a different angle.” Victor sighed and shook his head. 

“Worry less about that and think more about what I just said. Yuuri is connecting with you on an emotional level. Everything you’ve seen him do tonight and what Yuuri will do to that man is to protect you.” Phichit told him quietly. 

“But I never asked him to do any of this for me. I never wanted this.” Victor lowered his eyes to the tiled floor. 

“Then run away. Take Yuri and disappear from Yuuri’s side. He won’t chase you, and I can still pick up the pieces you’ll leave behind.” Phichit told him as he picked up one of the gloves stretching it between his hands. 

The request sounded simple enough, but the weight that immediately fell on Victor’s chest made everything feel worse. 

Leave Yuuri? Leave the one person who actually wanted to help him make something of himself? 

Could he do that? 

Victor bit his lower lip and shook his head slowly. “I can’t do that.” 

Phichit pulled the glove taut and let it go. The snap made Victor jump. “I figured as much. You two are pretty much stuck together at this point.” 

“Do you want me to disappear?” Victor asked. 

Phichit was always by Yuuri’s side. He was there when Yuuri needed him and was there to watch over Yuuri and help him with his work. They were so close sometimes Victor thought he caught glimpses of something more between them. Of course, if there had been Phichit would have said something. 

Right? 

Phichit looked taken aback for a moment before an amused smile split onto his lips. “I’d be lying if I said I was okay with everything that’s going on between you two. Yuuri is my best friend and the whole reason I’m here. He’s so carefully built up his image and gained the respect of some very dangerous people. I would hate to see him get hurt and lose everything because of his relationship with you.” 

Victor frowned and Phichit shrugged. “I have nothing against you and Yuri. If I had to pick between you two and Yuuri on who to protect, you already know my answer to that.”

“Yeah. I do,” Victor muttered, hands gripping at the edge of the examination table. 

Silence fell between them as Victor mulled over everything that Phichit had told him. After a few minutes of quiet Victor finally spoke up. “I have nowhere else to go.” 

Phichit nodded. “I know.” 

“I’m going to stay by his side for as long as he’ll let me, but I won’t always be this weak either. I won’t let something like this happen again,” Victor insisted. 

Phichit nodded and tapped his fingers to his lips thoughtfully. “I also know that, too.” 

A soft knock on the door stole both Victor’s attention as Mila poked her head in. She gave a tight lipped smile. “Victor. I’m here to escort you and Phichit to the basement.” 

A chill ran down Victor’s spine. 

It was time.


	26. Chapter 26

“I can’t do this Mila. I don’t want to do this,” Victor whispered as she walked beside him down the hall. It was like he had pressed a button and an unstoppable train had been unleashed, and it was barrelling towards a series of actions that he couldn’t take back. 

The people around him wouldn’t _let_ him take them back. 

He hadn’t listened, and the consequence for that first action was going to end outside anything he had ever imagined. 

The man’s blood would be on his hands. 

Mila spared him a sympathetic glance and shook her head. “This isn’t your fault. It’s that man’s fault, Victor. If there is something that we have all learned in this alliance it’s that it’s more efficient to never give second chances to people that mess up in the first place.” 

Victor swallowed and winced as he touched the front of his throat. 

“Victor, are you okay?” Phichit asked as he leaned over and pulled the other’s hand from his throat. 

“I’m fine.” Victor pulled his hand away gently as they kept going down the hall. 

Mila and Phichit spoke in hushed whispers as they wandered down the hall to the stairway and continued using the stairs going down, down, down. Once they were on the ground floor, they moved down towards the back of the manor and towards a heavily guarded staircase leading lower. The large men stepped to the side so Mila, Phichit, and Victor could start down the staircase. 

Pausing at the top of the stairs, Mila turned back and offered her hand to Victor. 

Hesitantly, Victor took her hand and Phichit nodded to both of them. “I’ll go down first and see what’s going on.” 

Phichit picked up the pace bouncing down the stairs ahead of them. 

Victor squeezed Mila’s hand. “Is there any other way?” 

Mila gave him a pained smile and shook her head. “No, but Victor...You’ve been accepted as one of our own. If we don’t do this, it’s almost like admitting we can’t protect those we care about.” 

“Is it worth this man’s life?” Victor murmured. 

Mila tugged him down after her. “It is. It’s to me, Gosha, and definitely to Yuuri.” 

There was nothing he could really do. He was going to have to see this through to the end. The people around him were set in their ways, and who was he to oppose them? 

He had no power here. 

Victor took a deep breath and followed down the stairs. The deeper they went, the more audible voices became. Several people were talking and murmuring as they finally made it down to the bottom of the stairs. 

The room was no larger than the one they had brought him into earlier that day to watch Mila, Guang Hong Ji and Leo sign their agreement about the surrogate process. Again, there were only the people he had just met that evening standing around the walls, but unlike the easy air they had around them for most of the day, everyone stood back. 

In the middle of the room sat the large man that had tried to kidnap and assault him. Even though he knew that instinctively, the man’s head was covered with a pillowcase, his hands bound behind him. At the front of the room was a desk, and in front of it stood Georgi and Yakov. Over to the left of them stood Yuuri and Seung Gil. When Yakov’s eyes landed on him, Victor almost flinched and took a step back. 

He had after all made this a mess for Yuuri just as the other had warned him not to. 

“Finally, everyone is here,” Yakov grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I don’t see why this needs discussion.” 

Victor turned and had to hide his surprise. The words had come from Guang Hong Ji, Leo nodding silently as he frowned. 

Yakov shrugged. “A formality. We all have to agree that this is best.” 

“This stranger who is not even a part of our group came amongst us and tried to take the charge of one of the most respected people amongst us,” Sara offered, twirling some of her hair around her finger, a frown on her lips. 

Michele and Emil stood to either side of her. Mila nodded in agreement. 

“We did see Victor try to move away.” Emil spoke up with an uneasy smile as he turned and nodded at Victor. 

Yakov turned to Yuuri. “What do you think? What would you like to see done here tonight, Yura?” 

Victor turned to watch Yuuri. Yuuri’s eyes wandered over the others around the room before he settled onto Victor again. He stared hard at Victor, and finally the weight of that gaze made Victor look down at the ground, hands clenched into fists at his sides. There were a dozen things he could have said, but the dark look in Yuuri’s eyes stopped him from speaking out. 

This is what it would be liked to be loved by Yuuri Katsuki. 

“Yuuri,” Yakov urged quietly. 

“Barring my connection with Victor, I think my stance is very unbiased and clear. Victor is sixteen, and while that is the age of consent in Russia he is still a young teenager. My opinion would be the same had this poor subject of a human grabbed anyone here.” Yuuri’s voice held no hesitation. 

“And that is?” prompted Yakov. 

Victor shut his eyes tightly as silence prevailed in the room for a moment before he heard Yuuri exhale softly. “We need to take care of threats, no matter what the intention was. If this man is allowed to go out there and talk about what he did to Victor tonight, people will get the wrong message. We need to take care of him now.” 

There it was. 

The words he had been dreading fell from the lips of the most important person to him. Victor felt his heart nearly stop at his words. The man in the middle of the proceedings screamed into the gag that was hidden beneath the pillow case. 

“Is there a second to this decision?” Yakov asked. 

Victor’s head shot up. 

So Yuuri’s word wasn’t law. Anyone could stop this right now. Surely there was someone willing to do so. His eyes frantically searched the faces of the people around him, no one met his eyes. Everyone was focused on the man in the middle of the room. 

“I second it,” Seung Gil spoke up, carefully tucking some of his hair behind his ear. 

Yakov nodded. “I will motion in agreement as well.” 

Any hope that Victor had left, really drained out of him as Yakov continued. “Let’s put it to a vote. All of those in agreement that we take care of this problem here, raise your hand.” 

Everyone raised their hand. 

“All those opposed?” 

No one raised their hand. But neither did Victor. He didn’t have the clout or the strength to go against the people in that room. 

Yakov turned to the desk and reached over it pulling a black box out. Opening it carefully, Yakov pulled out a gun and turned towards Yuuri. “Since Victor is your charge, you mete out the punishment.” 

Victor gagged and leaned back against the wall. 

Yuuri turned, grabbed the gun, checked to make sure the clip was in and cocked back the top of it. He didn’t spare Victor a glance as he motioned for one of the men on the other side of the room. “Remove the pillow case. I want to see his eyes.” 

Mila turned to Victor gently rubbing his arm. “Are you okay?” 

_Are you okay?_

How could _anyone_ be okay with this? 

Victor felt his world tilt and the room start to spin as the pillow was pulled off of the man’s head. A sheet had been tied around and stuffed into his mouth as a makeshift gag. The other’s blond hair stood on end, rumpled. The man hung his head, tears streaming down his face. 

When faced with the barrel of the gun, the man squealed and tried to scoot backward on his knees. 

Yakov sighed and shook his head as the man whimpered and looked at him with wide, wild eyes. 

“I’m going to be sick.” Victor slapped a hand over his mouth. 

Yakov turned his eyes towards him and nodded. “Mila, take him back upstairs to the infirmary. Everyone else, please go back to the party, everything will be done shortly.” 

Then just like that everyone moved towards the stairs. Phichit hung back slightly a frown on his lips as he looked to Mila and back towards where Yuuri stood, gun lowered by his side. 

“I’ll take care of him, Phichit. I won’t leave his side until you come to get him,” Mila promised. 

Phichit smiled gratefully and turned his back towards them as Mila guided Victor on his wobbly legs back up the stairs and towards where things made more sense. 

As they proceeded upstairs, there was a beat of silence and then two cracks of gun fire and the sound of a body dropped to the ground. There was no more muted screaming, no more whimpering, just silence.

\-----

As soon as the body dropped. There was so much to do. Seung Gil and Phichit had stayed behind along with Yakov and some of his more silent contacts to get the deed done. They ushered Yuuri up a back staircase and out towards a waiting car. 

Phichit had smiled at him though he could tell there was much more to be said as he noticed how pinched and tired his partner’s smile looked. 

“Phichit? What’s wrong?” Yuuri had tried to ask, but his best friend just shook his head and gently eased the gloves off of Yuuri’s hand as he handed them to someone else to take care of. 

Those were his favorite gloves. They had been a gift from Michele and Sara when he had last been to see them in Italy. Yuuri made a mental note to ask where they had gotten them and to apologize formally for ruining their gift to him later. 

“I’ll take care of Victor and make sure he gets back to the hotel. Do whatever it is you need to do, and come back soon, okay?” 

Phichit reached down squeezing one of his hands. 

Seung Gil stood beside the wall, arms crossed as he watched Phichit jog up the staircase and away from the remaining few in the basement just outside where Yuuri was being divested of his shoes and socks. 

Slowly he moved towards where Yuuri was. “You did the right thing.” 

“Did I?” Yuuri gave the other soon to be leader a self deprecating smile. 

“If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same thing for anyone under my wing.” Seung Gil kept his distance, but Yuuri understood it was more out of respect than it was anything else.

“It’s a pity. I wanted more time with you, but I’m sure there is more to all this,” added Seung Gil with a wave of his hand. 

“I’ll be in Seoul soon, then we can talk some more.” Yuuri assured him with a small grimace as one of the men left and came back with different socks and shoes. Yuuri slipped them on and the silent man nudged them both towards the back exit. 

“Seung Gil, you’re with me,” Yakov called. 

Seung Gil nodded once more to Yuuri turning to step around the man and back into the concrete room. The door snapped shut behind him, and the remaining man that had been sent into the room with Yuuri led him out to a car waiting at the back. 

“Yakov had a message for you. He said he expect you back for work tomorrow, but get some rest for tonight,” the man told him gruffly as he opened the door of the unmarked car and Yuuri slid in. 

Of course Yakov had. 

There was no reason for the person who had committed a murder to stick around and get blood on him or leave evidence around. He would call a special crew and any existence of the man would be erased from that entire night. 

Yuuri clasped his hands together as he stared straight ahead trying not to think of the surprise in the dead man’s eyes as the first bullet ripped right through the left side of his head. The stench of blood wasn’t leaving his nose, and there certainly had to be blood on his suit. 

Was he getting it on the upholstery of the car? 

Yuuri squirmed uncomfortably as he heard the shots echoing around and around the inside of his head. He reached up and gripped his hair into his hands as he tucked his chin to the top of his chest. 

Breathe, Katsuki. Breathe. 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Yuuri had looked at Victor and seen the helplessness and terror in his eyes. The teenager hadn’t asked for this, but Yuuri would make him carry it all the same. 

After all, they were now tied together and connected in a different more intimate way. 

Victor now knew the lengths that Yuuri would go through for him. Yuuri loved Victor enough to protect him by killing another. 

How would the other look at him now? 

It was getting harder and harder for Yuuri to sit still as his brain continued to work on overdrive to process the entire evening and how it had concluded. 

He needed a drink. As stiff as he could stand. 

Did they have a mini bar in their room? 

Yuuri was so wrapped up in his head that he didn’t realize the car had stopped in front of the hotel already until the driver cleared his throat startling Yuuri back to the present. Quietly, he opened the door and stepped out of the car and onto the street, shutting the door behind him. 

The car took off to wherever Yakov had ordered they go next. It would probably be sanitized or stripped after one use. 

Yuuri moved stiffly inside and wobbled to the nearest elevator, taking out his card and sliding it into the little reader as he punched the floor number. After a second the little reader turned green and the doors slid shut as the elevator took him to his floor. 

It felt almost like he was on autopilot as the elevator lurched to a stop and he stumbled out of it when the doors opened. 

Just a few more steps and he was to their hotel room, unlocking the door with his key card. 

_Home._

Phichit’s head jerked up as he looked over at the door, and his face relaxed. “Thank goodness you made it safely.” 

Yuuri gave his friend a fragile smile as he clasped his hands together in front of him tightly. “Yeah. Made it here.” 

Then in a flurry of movement, Phichit grabbed his hand and tugged him down the small steps and into their bedroom. Yuuri didn’t have the strength or the presence of mind to resist him as his partner gently nudged him into the bathroom. 

Phichit had divested himself of his tie and jacket, and he had unbuttoned a few of the buttons on his white shirt already. 

He slipped carefully in front of Yuuri and sighed gently. “Here. Let me help you.” 

Yuuri barely felt the tug as each button was loosened and his suit jacket fell open around him. Phichit stepped around him easing it off and looking for a plastic bag. He shoved the suit jacket inside it. 

Probably something that Yakov had told him to do. 

“Here, belt, then pants next.” Phichit told him in a soft voice with a gentle smile on his lips. Of course Phichit was trying his best to take care of him. That was what Phichit did. He eased the knife and the holster off of him and put it on the counter with a muffled thud. 

Yuuri cringed as he thought back to how the man’s head had snapped back after the first shot, and how the second had landed in the meat of his chest. How the body had shuddered and seemed to be suspended in the air, and then all of the sudden the man had crumpled into a heap on the floor. 

Taking a deep breath, Yuuri twitched and shuddered back to life. “Phichit. I killed a man.” 

Phichit’s fingers stopped mid-pluck on the buttons on his shirt. “Yes, you did.” 

He should have felt remorse, but all that festered there was the grim satisfaction that he had protected his. You’re not normal, his brain whispered to him. Yuuri pushed the thoughts to the back of his head, took a breath and shook his head out as he fought to remember exactly why he had done so in the first place. 

Victor. 

The man had touched Victor and had hurt him. 

“I’m not sorry,” Yuuri murmured. 

Phichit hummed quietly as he went back to divesting Yuuri of his shirt. “No one said you have to be sorry.” 

“Victor’s probably afraid of me now.” Yuuri winced as he thought of the way the young teen had stared at him, eyes wide with fear, neck bandaged and hands clenched into fists at his sides. 

He knew what his partner had wanted to say. 

_You can stop this._

Yuuri had almost heard the other broadcasting that to him as he looked so intently at Yuuri. 

He could have stopped it, and he didn’t. 

“If he is afraid of you for carrying out punishment on his behalf, then maybe you should really consider letting him stay here in Russia. Yuuri, tonight proved everything that Yakov and I have been telling you about this whole situation,” Phichit murmured as he tossed the shirt and tie and motioned for Yuuri to strip down the rest of the way. 

Yuuri did so without complaint, handing the undershirt and his boxers to Phichit. He tied up the bag and tossed it beside the trash. 

“Is he okay?” Yuuri asked quietly. 

“As okay as someone who realized that he’s close to someone who is dangerous in his own right.” Phichit sighed as he moved behind Yuuri turning on the shower. Yuuri watched after his friend quietly as he opened the door to the shower and ushered him in. 

“Take a shower, collect yourself, and then we'll talk.” Phichit promised. 

Yuuri nodded and stepped into the warm spray. 

He stood under the warm shower spray washing his body and letting the water wash away the built up suds before doing so several more times. 

You have blood on you, his brain whispered. You’ll never be able to completely wash it of. 

“I don’t care,” he whispered as he pressed his warm palms against the chilled tiles beneath the shower head where only stray droplets splashed back onto the cold surface.


	27. Chapter 27

Stepping out of the bathroom, Yuuri wandered out into his and Phichit’s bedroom dressed only in a plush robe with a towel in his hands. His best friend was lying on his stomach, feet kicked up in the air, hands on his cell phone. 

It was surreal how normal this all felt. 

“Does it bother you?” Yuuri asked quietly, rubbing at his hair with the towel. 

Phichit hummed and looked up. “There you are.”

Phichit slowly sat up and tossed his phone towards the head of the bed behind him. He held out his hands and opened and closed them. “Come here.” 

Yuuri slid onto the bed next to him, giving the towel wordlessly to his keeper. 

Phichit huffed and wrapped up his head and gently started to muss his hair dry with the towel. Yuuri let his eyes shut as he enjoyed the brief indulgence. 

“You didn’t answer me,” Yuuri prodded. 

Phichit hummed thoughtfully and murmured. “I figured there would be a day when we would see someone die. I didn’t know if it would be by my hand or yours, but I wish it hadn’t happened like that.” 

“I don’t regret it,” Yuuri murmured. 

Phichit huffed and pressed the towel around his friend’s shoulders. “Of course you don’t. You killed him so he wouldn’t touch the person you actually love.” 

With it put out there plainly, it was really hard for Yuuri to anything besides stay silent. It wouldn’t exactly be something he could deny. He _had_ just killed a man for hurting the person that was precious to him. 

“I don’t know why I expected you to sputter or get upset at that.” Phichit chuckled as he leaned against Yuuri’s side, arms wrapping around his shoulders. The pressure and warmth felt nice. He allowed his eyes to slowly fall shut. 

“Yuuri. Don’t get me wrong, but don’t you think what you want to do is dangerous?” Phichit asked rocking Yuuri back and forth slightly. 

Yuuri opened one eye and turned to look at his best friend. “I think it’s more important now than ever that Yuri and Victor go to Hasetsu. I want them to have a chance at a normal life. I never want Yuri to go through what happened to Victor tonight.”

Phichit sighed and nodded pressing his cheek into Yuuri’s shoulder. “I know, but who is going to protect them while you’re not there? In fact, you’re never going to be there for them.” 

Yuuri nodded slowly. “I don’t need to be a constant reminder to Victor about where he came from and what he saw or experienced.” 

“You can’t guarantee that people won’t come to hurt them to get back at you. How are you going to make sure they are safe from America? What about China? Korea? Russia? You know the alliance is going to be spread out to the Milieu in France soon.” Phichit continued, his arms tightening around his friend. 

“Phichit. They won’t just be in Hasetsu by themselves, they will be under the protection of my sister, mother, and father. They will be in the safest place for them,” Yuuri assured Phichit, reaching up to brush his fingers through his hair. 

Phichit whined and relaxed against him. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” 

“I know, but I think it’s past the point of no return. Don’t you? Victor and Yuri have a chance to have things they’ve never had. After meeting them, do you think you could really see Victor and Yuri go back on the streets?” Yuuri asked quietly. 

Phichit sagged in his arms. “No,” he sulked. 

“Me neither.” Yuuri brushed his fingers through Phichit’s hair for a little while before he yawned and the other nudged him towards the top of the bed. 

“Let’s sleep. Tonight was too long.” Phichit barely stifled his own yawn. 

Yuuri shook his head and chuckled. “I’m going to go get myself a bottle of water from the fridge. Do you want one?” 

Phichit nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” 

Standing up, Yuuri wobbled. He hadn’t expected all his limbs to feel so heavily and sluggish as he wobbled around the bed and up the small stairs and into the living room. It felt like a herculean task to traverse the plush carpet of the living room and onto the cold tile of the kitchen. Yuuri tugged open the fridge and grabbed the first two bottles of water, the light of the fridge illuminating the area around him.

“Yuuri?” 

_That voice._

Victor. 

Yuuri turned, hand gripping the handle on the door of the fridge. “I was just getting some water for Phichit and me.” 

Victor stood in the doorway, neck bandaged and in a large shirt the teenager had picked for bed when they had all gone out shopping for another round of clothing. It fell to his mid-thigh covering everything that was important but not being uncomfortable as Victor had explained. 

“Oh,” the teen answered, fingers grabbing the fabric of his shirt.

 _He’s nervous around you._

The realization hit Yuuri and made him wince. He stood up and shut the door to the fridge. Wandering towards the entrance, he flicked the light on for Victor as he passed him. “Don’t stay up too late. You need your rest so you can heal.” 

Before he’d made it two steps, Victor slammed into his back making Yuuri nearly lose his balance, hands gripping into the soft robe. 

“Don’t,” Victor whimpered. 

Yuuri blinked and tensed up. “Don’t?” 

“Don’t do that. Don’t run away before I can even say what I have to say,” Victor pleaded softly. 

Yuuri tried to look over his shoulder, but the other clung to the back of his robe and refused to look up and meet his eyes. 

“Victor?” Yuuri tried to turn around, and the teenager turned with him, preventing him from facing him. He was tired and Victor was upset. This probably wasn’t the best time for a heart to heart. 

“Don’t look at me. Just listen,” Victor mumbled, hands still holding on for dear life into the back of Yuuri’s robe. 

“We can’t have a conversation like this. Please.” 

Victor didn’t listen at first, but after a few beats of silence, the hands that had his robe in a death grip loosened, and Yuuri was able to turn around and face the teen. His cheeks were flushed and he clasped his hands in front of him. 

Yuuri did a once over and checked him. The only part of him that was injured, true to the doctor’s word, was his neck. Yuuri set the water bottles down on the coffee table and gently cupped Victor’s face in his hands as he lifted his head slowly to inspect the bandages. 

His heart clenched as Victor’s eyes darted everywhere but where they probably really wanted to go. 

Finally, Yuuri let go of him and sighed grabbing the water bottles again. “I’m sorry that something so traumatic happened to you tonight. Yakov and the others feel terrible about you being hurt.” 

Victor sucked in his breath. “Did you really kill that man because of what he did to me?”

“Yes. He had no business touching you. People like that should all die for touching young people against their will.” Yuuri spoke without hesitation. 

“I don’t want people to die because of me.” Victor wrapped his arms around himself. 

“His blood is on my hands, not yours,” Yuuri soothed as he reached out and touched Victor’s arm. 

“I still don’t understand why you are being so kind to me,” Victor muttered and he reached up and brushed a shaky hand over his eyes, taking a step back from Yuuri. Yuuri watched him as Victor settled himself down into the recliner. 

“I think I told you that already several times. I want you to experience life as most people get to experience it. I want you to have some sort of a normal life so you can grow up and do something with it.” Yuuri tells him, sitting on the arm of the couch. 

“You are about to leave, aren’t you?” Victor whispers. 

Yuuri hears the vulnerability in his voice. “Yeah, Phichit and I are about done with all the work we have. With everything that’s happened, we have about a week and then we are going back to Hasetsu.” 

“What’s going to happen then? Where does that leave Yuri and I?” Victor demanded, his voice quivering as he pulls the shirt over his knees and leans forward across his lap. 

“Yuuri? Really? You haven’t asked him or told him what’s happening?” Phichit moves out of the bedroom, and Yuuri tosses the water bottle at him which his friend catches without batting an eyelash. 

“Got tired of waiting for your water?” Yuuri asked. 

“Damn straight.” Phichit nodded and plopped down onto the couch, twisting the cap off the top. 

“What do you mean you haven’t told me what was happening?” Victor frowned and squirmed on his seat. Yuuri sighed and moved from the arm of the couch onto the actual couch next to Phichit. 

“A little while ago, Yuuri talked to his family and asked if they would be willing to take you and Yuri in and let you both be part of their family.” Phichit told Victor. 

Victor blinked, his eyes snapping to Yuuri. “Is this true?” 

Yuuri looked away, from him. “My sister is the leader of our group. I had to ask her permission, and she wanted to wait to see if having you and Yuri around would affect my work. I just asked again, and she said as long as you are willing to help out at the onsen with mother and father she thought it would be fine.” 

Victor stared hard at him. “You really asked for us? You meant everything you said?” 

Yuuri finally turned to look at him with a tired smile. “Yeah. I told you I would take responsibility for you and Yuri. So when Phichit and I go back, there will be a few days delay but we already have your flights booked and Yakov agreed to get the paperwork in order for you to pass customs.” 

Victor pressed his hands to his face staring at Yuuri. “You are unbelievable.” 

Phichit grinned and shrugged as he pushed Yuuri over. “So you still should say yes or no or Yuuri won’t understand if you two intend to come.” 

“Of course we are. Why wouldn’t we?” Yuri spoke sleepily from the open door to their room. 

“Did we wake you, Yura?” Victor called out as the young blond made his way over to the remaining recliner, sprawling out on it. 

“Yes, you guys are fucking loud,” Yuri groused. 

“So does that mean that we will get to go to school?” Victor asked quickly. 

“With not being in school for a while, we thought it would be best if my old tutor taught you and then you make your decision. She will also catch Yuri up to speed so he can decide whether he wants to go to school or tutor at home as well,” Yuuri answered. 

“Great. Can we go over all this in the morning?” Yuri grumbled. 

Victor smiled and nodded. “Sure.” 

After all, everyone had a particularly tough night, but it seemed like things would become better by the time daytime rolled around.


	28. Chapter 28

There was lots to clean up both with all of the guests and with the family the man had been associated with. Yuuri had gone back to the manor the next day with Phichit and he and the rest had cleaned up. 

The basement had been cleaned and every detail taken care of. 

At the end of the whole ordeal, it was the day set before Yuuri and Phichit were to leave for Hasetsu. Yakov had sent several maids and people to the hotel room to check it over and to bring everything to his home. 

The day wore on until it was time for Yuuri and Phichit to be shuttled to the airport. 

“I will have them send your things to Hasetsu through the back channels,” Yakov assured him. 

Yuuri nodded and relaxed into the couch across from Yakov in his office, a drink in his hand. “Thank you for all your help. I don’t think everything would have gone as smoothly had we not had your assistance.” 

Yakov hummed and sipped the spirit from his own glass. 

Yuuri looked over towards the window. It was night time and the flight from where they currently were to Hasetsu was a long one, but one he was ready to take. 

Victor and the others had been shuffled out of the main house and placed in Mila’s smaller manor. Only Phichit and Yuuri were allowed to stay inside Yakov’s home. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave those two children with me? I think we could definitely watch over them,” Yakov grunted as he sat the drink down on the table between them. The ice cubes shifted in the glass, clinking against the sides. 

“I don’t want them like us. I want them to have a chance to live outside of this. While it might be okay for us who all chose to do this, would it really be fair to take their choice away from them even before it’s made?” Yuuri asked, both hands clenched around the drink. 

Yakov shrugged and murmured. “So you will give them a choice to join you and your family then?” 

“If the time comes and that’s really what they want to do? Sure. But for right now, Victor needs a good education and so does Yuri. We can give them the best education and teach them whatever they want to know.” 

Yakov sat forward on the couch, hands resting on his thighs. “You’ve really grown through all of this.” 

“I don’t think so. I think I’ve been doing what’s needed to be done.” Yuuri’s lips quirked as he took another sip of his drink. 

“No, I mean, you used to be reserved, and now after the party, after that night and taking in these two Russian street children, something has changed in you,” Yakov elaborated. 

“I wonder.” Yuuri sighed and sagged back against the cushions. 

“You’re speaking up more. You have more confidence.” Yakov pushed himself up and drank deeply as he began to pace the room. Yuuri quietly watched him and took another sip of his own drink. 

“Again, I wonder about that,” Yuuri spoke softly, more to himself than the Bratva leader. 

“Are you sure you are up to the task of raising two teenagers?” Yakov asked, his eyes narrowed in on his colleague. Yuuri understood Yakov’s trepidation. There had been a time before Phichit and before the kids that he had nearly caved under the pressure he was in, but after the last couple of months….

“I’ll be fine. I’ll still continue my work, and they will learn the value of hard work and studying hard to make something of themselves. I will provide for them financially, and my family will help me do the emotional lifting.” Yuuri finished off his glass and placed it on the coaster. 

“That sounds like the easiest parenting yet.” Yakov chuckled and shook his head, polishing off his drink and walking around the couch. 

Yuuri motioned to a folder he had brought in with him earlier. “In here is my card. When they leave just hand it to Victor, I trust he’ll get it back to me in one piece. Also in the folder is a list of everything they will need before they come to Hasetsu. Georgi and Mila volunteered to help, so I wanted to be as thorough as possible.” 

Yakov nodded and Yuuri stood and offered his hand to the old man. Yakov grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I don’t understand why you are doing what you are doing, but I am proud of you for taking two kids to help from Russia when there are so many suffering. The Bratva cannot be a haven for so many lost souls.” 

“I really haven’t changed much since deciding to take them in,” Yuuri protested. 

Yakov waved him off and dropped his hand. “You have changed. You may not understand it now, but it happens when you end up having people that you are responsible for. I realized it after I took Mila and Georgi in.” 

Yuuri smiled slightly and scratched at his cheek with his pointer finger. “I’ll have to sit down in a couple of years and compare notes with you.” 

“Da. I will definitely expect it sometime.” Yakov nodded as he turned back towards his desk. 

“I’m sure Phichit is hopping around with our baggage and worried about making the flight on time. So I should go.” Yuuri smiled and Yakov turned towards him and nodded. 

“This is goodbye for now. But I’ll see you in a year or so. If you ever get tired and want a place to put roots know that we would welcome you here as a friend,” Yakov told him seriously. Yuuri bit his lower lip and nodded, his cheeks flushing as he gave a small wave and left Yakov’s office.  
\-----

“This is going to be so much fun!” Mila clapped her hands together as she settled in on Victor’s bed in the guest room. When the word had been sent that the boys would be staying with them for a couple of days, Mila had insisted that Victor and Yuri be housed in her manor home instead of with Georgi. 

Yakov had seen no reason to deny the request and had even brought in two beds for the room. The large bed that normally was used was placed in storage. 

All in all, Victor felt almost at home, especially with Mila and Yuri so close. 

“Yes, we can watch movies, and talk about everything, and just spend a lot of time together. Yakov has given myself and Georgi a few days to spend with you and get you all ready to move overseas to Japan.” Mila wrapped her arms around Victor as he chuckled and leaned against her. 

It still didn’t feel real, but Yuuri had said it, Phichit had reiterated it, and now Yakov and the Bratva were helping get them ready to meet back up with Yuuri and Phichit in Hasetsu, Japan. 

“I didn’t realize that when I bumped into Yuuri this would all happen,” Victor sighed wistfully. 

“Well, he saw something in you and decided you were worth saving. Don’t disappoint him or let him down, Vitya. Everyone's watching to see how you and he both handle this,” Mila warned with a coy grin and a wink. 

“They just want to see if they actually get together or Yuuri goes back on his word,” Yuri called out to the older teens. 

Mila turned and threw a pillow at him. “Hush. You don’t know anything about anything that goes on.” 

Yuri grabbed the pillow and wrapped his arms around it as he unpaused the game on his PSVita. “Whatever you say.” 

Victor laughed and shook his head. “Don’t listen to him, Mila. He’s a mischievous kitten.” 

Yuri raised his hand, his middle finger extended without looking up from his game. 

Mila and Victor exchanged grins. 

This was nice. 

It was almost too nice really. Victor refused to look at the clock. Every minute he spent with Mila and Yuri was a minute that was getting closer to Yuuri and Phichit’s departure. 

Phichit had already said his goodbyes and had given them both hugs and grins telling him things would be ready by the time they came to Hasetsu and to behave for Yakov and Mila. 

Like they needed to be told this after what had happened at the party. 

“So I was thinking that first-” Mila was cut off by a knock on the door. 

Victor’s heart jumped up to his throat as he looked up. In the doorway stood Yuuri. It looked like his Yuuri and not the Yuuri from the party, thankfully. Yuuri was dressed in a large puffy jacket, a knit beanie on his head, and in a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. 

Victor bit the inside of his cheek as Yuuri crossed the threshold and moved towards where they sat on the bed. Several guarded emotions flashed over Yuuri’s face, Victor tipped his head up and finally that seemed to snap Yuuri out of his thoughts. 

Yuuri reached out and ruffled the top of Victor’s head. “It’s only four days. Four days and we will all be together again and you will be able to relax at home.” 

_Home._

The word pulled some very complicated emotions from him, and a warmth bubbled up as he gently shoved Yuuri’s hand away with a small grin. “Home. Yeah, that sounds good.” 

Mila sat up and opened her arms and Yuuri turned to her, wrapping her up in a hug. He kissed her cheek and pulled back. “Text me sometime okay? You stay safe and keep Georgi in line.” 

“You know I can do that. I promise that Victor and Yuri will make it to you in one piece,” Mila mumbled into Yuuri’s shoulder. He patted her back and stood back up adjusting his scarf again. 

Victor felt a pang of jealousy and tamped down on it. Mila and Georgi had practically grown up as Yuuri’s siblings, of course he would share affection with them too. Yuuri chuckled and shook his head as he called out. “Don’t drive everyone crazy, Yuri.” 

“Whatever. See you soon.” Yuri’s cheeks flushed slightly, but if anyone said anything different to him, he would definitely deny it. 

Stepping back, Yuuri locked eyes with Victor again and they studied each other quietly and Yuuri gave him a smile and a final nod. “Four days.” 

“Four days,” Victor repeated. 

Yuuri turned on his heel and wandered quietly out of the room. Victor reached up gripping at the fabric of his t-shirt as he watched him go quietly. He listened to Yuuri’s steps on the stairs as they trailed off into nothing. He stood up and moved to the window and watched as Phichit opened the door to the car taking them to the airport and both slid inside. 

The car drove away and that was that. 

“Victor, you are so cute,” Mila teased quietly as she pulled him back away from the window and towards the bed. Victor flopped onto it and sighed as he stared at the ceiling glumly. 

“It’s not that bad. Honestly! Four days is actually very short if you think about it. Also, he’s doing this so we have time together to you know. After all, he’s taking my best friend away from me,” Mila flopped on the bed, her head against his shoulder. 

Turning his face towards her, he curled up with her and sighed. “I’m scared of moving so far away from everything I’ve ever known.” 

“I know you are, but you’re doing it with arguably the best people to do it with.” Mila brushed her fingers through his hair soothingly. 

“Can’t argue with that.” Victor sighed and half sat up to look at her.

The looks were a new thing between him and Yuuri. That night in the hallway had sparked something between them, and it had also shifted something beneath the surface. It was something that Victor couldn’t quite put his finger on. The other had been careful around him, cautious in how he touched Victor or how he spoke. 

Victor had appreciated it, and Yuuri had continued to be gentle with him. There had been a sureness that Yuuri had that really showed up after things had happened at the announcement party. 

If only he could figure out exactly what had changed and how, then he’d feel a lot better. 

“You know he’s only acting like that because he wants to ride Yuuri’s dick,” Yuri piped up from his bed. 

Mila sputtered and laughed. Victor frowned. “Hey! That’s not true!” 

“Isn’t it?” Yuri paused his game and smirked over at Victor in challenge. Victor grabbed another pillow and this time he waited until Yuri was just a little more distracted and then threw it. The shot landed and nearly knocked Yuri off the bed. 

Mila shrieked with laughed as Yuri growled and shot up. “What the hell?!” 

“Maybe you kind of deserved that.” Victor told him with a shit-eating grin. If there was one thing he could do, it was tease Yuri and fire up the kitten. Yuri grabbed a pillow and jumped onto the bed smacking him in the face. 

It didn't hurt, but the hit left Victor sputtering. “H-hey!” 

“You fucking deserved that!” Yuri grinned triumphantly. 

Mila picked up another pillow and smacked Yuuri in the back. “Hey!” 

Yuri toppled over onto the bed, and Victor smirked down at him as he swung the pillow and smacked him in the face again. 

“Not fair! You two are ganging up on me!” Yuri yelled as he tried to get up and immediately was tossed back onto the bed with Mila and Victor smacking him several times over and over until the younger teen couldn’t help it and started to laugh. 

Victor and Mila both grinned and laughed with him. 

“What is going on here? Mila! You were supposed to be getting ready for a late- “ Georgi came into the room dressed in his normal suit as he tried to talk to the others. The trio exchanged glances and threw their pillows at Georgi. 

He took a few steps back and laughed. “Hey! No fair. I was just coming in to tell you-” 

Before he could even utter a word, Mila had picked up another pillow and launched it into his face. Georgi caught it and tossed it back at Mila who deflected it with her arms and a big grin. 

“Dinner! We have dinner!” Georgi cried as Yuri dove onto the ground and grabbed a pillow to hit Victor with and Victor tried to tear the pillow away from Yuri. 

This had been the best he had felt in days.

“What is going on here?” Yakov’s gruff voice interrupted the ensuing chaos and everything stopped. 

Mila stood up, cheeks flushed and hair flying every which way. Victor and Yuri didn’t look any better, and Georgi was huddled on the ground hands up above his head. 

Yakov blinked and shook his head and rolled his eyes. “We will leave for dinner in ten minutes. Anyone who isn’t in the car will be left behind.” 

After he left, everyone scrambled to get ready for dinner except for Georgi who tidied himself up and followed after Yakov. Victor blushed guiltily. “Sorry Mila.” 

Mila giggled as she brushed out her hair and slipped on a pair of flats. “It’s fine. If Yakov didn’t say anything right then, he isn’t going to. He’s not that kind of man. However, unless we want to walk to dinner, we better get a move on!” 

After she was done, she came to Victor’s rescue and helped to quickly braid his hair and get it out of his face. Yuri tugged on his favorite leopard print jacket and waited for them by the stairs. All three of the teens raced outside, sliding smoothly into the car. 

Yakov gave them all a once over, lifted his nose a little bit and muttered. “Katsuki definitely worked wonders with you both. You look much better now than you did the first time I saw you.” 

That compliment made Victor feel warm and fuzzy as he smiled at Yakov, and the older man turned towards the window nearest him with a soft harrumph. The car lurched into drive, and the manor disappeared behind them.


	29. Chapter 29

Yakov had them taken into the city for dinner to a restaurant that Victor in his wildest dreams never thought he would be able to step foot inside. One look at Georgi, Mila and Yakov sent the manager into a frenzy as a table in the back put together and cleared for them. 

A kindly looking older woman sat them and rushed off with their drink orders. 

The driver and the bodyguard that had been in the front two seats of the car settled down at a table near them with some hot tea as everyone looked over the menus at the dinner table. 

Victor frowned, looked up at Yakov, and then back down at the menu. 

“Eat what you want. Katsuki left his card for you and Yuri, so you don’t have to worry about me holding it over Yuuri,” Yakov ordered. 

“Like you would do that anyway, you pay for everything for Yuuri when he is here and still pay him a salary,” Mila grinned behind her menu as Yakov cleared his throat. 

“I want to try some of everything,” Yuri whispered in awe. 

Victor turned and looked at the small blond. His eyes were trained on the surface of the menu as his eyes danced over each and every choice. He chewed on his lip as he looked up at Victor. “Can we share a few different things?” 

It was hard to deny Yuri anything. The younger teen had fallen into homeless life. He hadn’t really had a choice when he had stood in front of Victor at the orphanage and opened up his arms. 

_Please don’t leave me._

Victor tapped his finger to his lips. “Sure. We can get two things each and share.” 

“Hey, I want to share with you too! That makes six things and if Georgi does it then that’s eight. What do you think, Gosha?” Mila asked Georgi as she batted her eyelashes at him. 

“Sure. I think that would be better than just having one entree and not getting to try other things.” Georgi agreed as he scanned the menu. 

it was like family sitting at the table with him as they chose what to eat for dinner. Yakov studied the menu. “Might as well make it ten.” 

Victor smiled and picked his two entrees. 

When the waitress came back Yakov spoke to her quietly. She seemed to understand and she nodded at him with a tight smile and went away coming back with five large empty plates. After she was done setting them before everyone she spoke. “We will bring out two dishes at a time for everyone to try, we hope you enjoy them.” 

There was so much food brought before them. Most of it rich in flavor and color. 

Yuri dug in with gusto happy to try something he had never had. Only recently had Yuuri started allowing him to have things like pizza or anything with high fat content. The doctor had been adamant that especially Yuri be treated with care in regards to his diet. He was malnourished and small for his age.

It wasn’t his fault, and Victor had tried to do his best, but there was only so much he could do and so much he could split between two people. 

Picking at the food on his plate, he plastered a small smile on his lips and slurped up the noodle dish that had been brought out. 

There was little chatter until a potato dish came out along with something the looked like steak, not that Victor had ever had steak before, but he knew what it looked like. 

Lifting the piece of meat to his nose, he sniffed it and then took a bite. The meat practically melted in his mouth, his eyes widening as he started to eat with gusto. Looking up, he noticed almost everyone was engrossed in their food. 

Everyone except Yakov. 

The older man narrowed his eyes and Victor stopped mid-chew. Yakov turned his eyes back down to the piece of steak on his own plate. “This steak is probably one of the better ones I’ve had. What are your thoughts, boy?” 

Victor tensed and nodded. “I’ve never had it before, but it’s really rich and practically melts in my mouth.” 

Yakov’s lips turned up slightly at the corners as he took another bite of the potatoes and hummed. “I said it in the car, but I will say it again. You and the other boy have been cleaned up and treated well.” 

Victor bit his lower lip and looked down at his plate. “I’ll have to tell him you said that.” 

Yuuri would probably be really happy with that. Yakov seemed to have a good relationship with Yuuri despite the fact that Yuuri wasn’t in the Bratva, but Phichit had said that Yuuri had really worked hard in order to gain the trust of dangerous people in high places. One false move and it could undo all the hard work the other had put in place. 

Victor gripped his fork a little harder and let out a soft huff. “I appreciate what he is doing. I’m glad to have the opportunity to make something of myself.” 

“Never forget that. While Yuuri may not call in any favors or want anything from you, one day you may be in a position to help someone else that was in your same situation. Pay it forward,” Yakov grumbled as he picked up his glass of wine and quietly sipped it. 

Those words cemented something in his chest. While Yuuri may not have wanted anything from him, Victor was in a position to where he could eventually do something to help Yuuri. 

But was that what Yakov meant, or did he mean to carry on the good work? Probably the latter idea, but Yuuri was the one that he wanted to help. 

“If there was ever a time in the future that I could help someone, and I didn’t have the means to, what do I do then?” Victor asked, a small smile on his lips. 

Yakov took a moment to contemplate the question. “Then you make sure you are friends with people in high places who can.” 

Victor nodded and sighed as he sat back and went back to eating. The rest of the dinner went smoothly and Victor ate more than he could remember eating his whole entire life. All the rich food settled heavy in the bottom of his stomach, making Victor pat his belly with a small smile. 

“Do you want to share dessert with me?” Mila offered. 

“I don’t think I could eat anymore if I tried.” Victor laughed as Mila huffed and Georgi rolled his eyes at her. 

“I’ll share something with you.” Yuri offered. 

“Oh? Will you?” Mila smiled at him and waved the waitress over for the dessert menu. 

Yakov snapped his fingers and the guard that had accompanied them stood up from his table and moved over with a sack. He handed it to Yakov who rummaged through it and pulled out two boxes. 

Victor blinked and Yuri turned to look at him and then back to Yakov. Georgi stood up and motioned to them. “I’ll be right back, I have a call to make.” 

“Before Yuuri left, he wanted me to make sure you had everything that you needed before you went to Hasetsu. Most of your extra clothing has already been sent there, but he felt a little uneasy without a way to get in contact with you both.” Yakov pushed one of the boxes towards Yuri and then the other towards Victor. 

His heart skipped a beat as he opened the small box. Sitting in the middle of a depression was one of the newest Android cell phones out on the market. He recognized it from the advertisement on the side of a window of one of the large phone service providers. 

He had always wanted a phone, but who would he have called anyway? 

The phone itself was already in a black highly durable case from the look of it. Victor picked it up with shaking hands and clicked the power button on the side of it. The phone screen lit up and showed the time. The battery was set at 99%. 

Looking up at Yakov, he clasped both hands on the cell phone. “Thank you.” 

Yakov cleared his throat and adjusted his hat. “Yuuri went and bought both. I just charged them and put in the international sims. They were a little more expensive, but you won’t have to mess with changing out the cards this way.” 

Victor tapped into the contacts on the phone expecting to have to fill them up himself. However as soon as he did so, four numbers popped up. The first was to Yutopia Katsuki. the second was to Phichit, the third to Yuri, and the last to Yuuri himself. He bit his lower lip, his cheeks flushing as he clicked the power button and turned the screen off, holding it delicately to his chest. 

He had a way to talk to Yuuri. 

He cared enough to make sure that Victor could keep in touch with him. 

Mila smiled and Yuri grinned pumping his fist into the air! “Yes, this is awesome. I’m so excited. I have a cell phone!” 

Victor pressed the cell phone to his chest a little harder and let out a shaky breath. 

Mila turned to him. “Are you okay, Victor?” 

He rubbed at his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, more than okay. This is probably the best gift I could get.” 

It meant that if he needed him and he wasn’t there, he could call and Yuuri would come running to help them. It meant that they were connected and that he would be there.

It hadn’t been all the clothing. It hadn’t been anything that they had splurged on to make sure that Victor and Yuri felt like they had something to do and information they had never had at their fingertips, no - it was the cell phone with Yuuri and Phichit’s numbers that made it hit home. 

They were going to be just fine, and Yuuri would be there for them. 

“Boys. Get my number from Mila in case anything happens while you are still under our care,” Yakov ordered. 

Georgi came back from the call with a small smile on his lips. “I take it everyone appreciated the gifts that Yuuri left for them?” 

Mila smiled and leaned over. “Here let me program in Yakov’s number for you. I’ll also add mine and Georgi’s. I expect to get texts from you every day.” 

Victor gingerly handed over his phone and nodded. “Yeah. After all, it would suck not to talk to my best friend, right?” 

Mila beamed and typed in the numbers first for Victor and then for Yuri. 

“I think it’s time to head home.” Yakov stood up handed over two cards to the bodyguard as he motioned for everyone to stand up from the table. The man disappeared dutifully to pay the dinner for them all. Yakov made them wait until he was done before they left the restaurant and slid back into the car. 

Victor held onto the small box in his hands as they were shuttled back to the manor. 

As Victor settled in for the night, he turned on his phone and swiped his fingers over Yuuri’s name. He looked at the small message screen and typed out one word: 

_Thanks. <3 _

Tucking the phone under his pillow, he turned onto his side and looked at the clock on the bed side table. Even though everyone had said that four days was no time at all, to Victor it felt like eternity.


	30. Chapter 30

The four days ended up flying by for Victor. Each time he had space to text Yuuri, Mila or Georgi kept him occupied. They took him to do touristy things he had never been able to do and encouraged him to take lots of pictures. Mila had even helped him and Yuri both to set up Instagram accounts. 

Little by little as the days passed by, his phone gained more apps. 

The text that he had sent to Yuuri had been read and he had simply replied with a smile emoji. 

Yes, it had been a short four days indeed. 

Mila had been the one who had been the most upset to see them go when they packed up the large backpacks that Yakov had provided them with to carry on the plane. 

Flying. 

Something else Victor and Yuri had never done. Yuuri was certainly becoming a lot of firsts for Victor. 

When the driver dropped them off, it had been with Georgi. The young man had helped them get checked in, weighed their baggage and checked the size of their carry ons. He had then spoken with the gate woman, showed her a card, and they had been rushed into the terminal and past customs. 

No one said anything as they were led to a first class waiting area. She smiled and took off. Georgi watched after her and looked back to the teens. “I know we seem like we’re being a bit cautious, but we want to make sure you’re safe.” 

Safety had also been the key word tossed around on the four days. 

Four days. 

The number kept repeating around in Victor’s head making him uneasy. A lot could change in four days. 

He gripped his cell phone tightly in his hand. It grounded him. Yuuri was a text away. He could text Yuuri and everything would be okay. 

“Are you okay?” Georgi asked him, a small frown on his lips. 

“Yes Gosha, I’m fine,” Victor told him with a small pinched smile. 

“No reason to act brave you know. Flying scares many people, especially those who have never done it before,” Georgi answered with a sage nod. 

Before Victor could react, Georgi wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly. “It’s almost as if Yuuri gave us another brother. Remember, you are Russian and will always have a home with us if you want it.” 

Victor shivered and wrapped his arms around Georgi. “Thank you.” 

Yuri looked up from his seat and rolled his eyes. “Why is everyone so sappy?” 

Victor grinned and pulled back from the embrace. “Because not everyone can be a moody kitten.” 

Yuri threw up his middle finger at Victor with a scowl, but the energy just wasn’t behind it. 

“I should be going, typically I shouldn’t have been allowed this far but…” Georgi trailed off with a shrug. 

“Be well Georgi,” Victor told him as the older man waved and disappeared from the waiting room. When he was gone, Victor took a seat next to Yuri and rubbed a hand up and down his arm encouragingly. 

Yuri narrowed his eyes. “What was that for?” 

“I know you’re nervous, I’m nervous too. We are about to be a long way away from home,” Victor told him quietly. 

Yuri set his jaw all the more firmly. “I’m not nervous.” 

“Okay Yura, but if you need to during the flight, you can hold my hand,” Victor teased quietly. 

They didn’t have to wait long, and there wasn’t a very long line of people who were boarding their flight. After about half an hour, they were sent up a ramp and into the plane. Victor peeked back into the lower half of the plane and shook his head slowly. 

The rest of the plane was tiny! Small seats and cramped spaces. Why would anyone ever fly? It seemed so miserable! 

“Sir?” The stewardess called out to him. 

Victor let out a breath he hadn’t thought he was holding. “Sorry.” 

She smiled at him and motioned towards the front of the plane, “You are sitting in first class. Not in economy.” 

Victor followed her and let out a small sigh of relief. The seats were two by two up there with plenty of rooms, televisions in the back of the seats, and thankfully the seats were _very_ spacious. 

“These are your seats. We will be leaving shortly,” the woman informed them. 

“I want the window seat.” Yuri pushed past Victor and bounced on the seat near the window as he pushed up the little cover and looked outside. 

Victor swallowed and shook his head slowly with a smile. “Such a kid.” 

“Hey. You probably would have called no fair if you weren’t totally afraid of flying,” Yuri groused. 

Victor rolled his eyes and settled into his seat as he leaned back against the chair. He had expected the chairs to be comfortable, but as he sat down it was like the chair embraced him. He sunk down into the most comfortable seat he’d ever sat in. 

“You didn’t deny it,” Yuri pointed out with a small smirk. 

“I don’t know if I’m scared. I’ve never flown before. I guess we will see in a moment, hmm?” Of course Victor would rather die than admit that his heart was pounding out of his chest, and he couldn’t quite catch his breath. 

Suddenly, there was a ding and one of the stewardess started to speak of the intercom from somewhere Victor couldn’t see. “Thank you for choosing to fly with us today.”

The door slid shut in the cabin, and Victor’s stomach dropped. The woman on the speaker continued her quick but practiced speech. “To fasten your seat belt slide the flat end into the buckle. To release lift up on the buckle. Make sure it’s positioned low and across your hips. Please wear it at all times while seated.” 

Yuri followed the directions very well. Victor kept watching him as he buckled and tightened the belt across his lower hips. 

Would this _really_ protect them in the event of a crash?

No. He hadn’t ever seen a plane crash, but even Victor knew if you came down and hit the ground hard from that high up there might not be survivors. A shiver ran down his spine as he tightened the belt a little more around his thin hips. 

Yuri blinked at him and raised both eyebrows. “Victor?” 

Victor turned and looked at him, lips quirked into a slight grin. “You okay, Yura?” 

“Of course I am,” Yuri muttered, cheeks flushing. 

“On board there are six emergency exits. Two forward exit doors, two over wing exits, and two exit doors on the back,” the woman continued. 

She sounded so calm that it made Victor squirm in his seat. Everyone around them in first class seemed so calm and very practiced at flying. That should have calmed his racing heart, but it didn’t. 

Instead of saying anything or speaking out, Victor gripped the arms of his chair and pressed himself back into the seat. 

The polite voice of the stewardess almost sounded too cheerful. “Signs over head and lights on the floor lead to the exits. In the seat back pocket in front of you, you’ll find your safety information card. Please take it out and look over it and you will see that in the event that the airplane crashes in water, you will use the life vest under your seat.” 

They had life vests? Under their _seats?!_

Victor fought the urge to look. He didn’t need to see it. He didn’t _want_ to see it. 

“Pull the red tab to open the pouch and pull out the vest. Place the vest over your head and place the black strap around your waist, buckle it in the front, and tighten. Do this outside the aircraft or you will not be getting outside the aircraft.” A couple people behind them chuckled, but Victor couldn’t understand why. 

“Once outside pull the red tab to inflate the vest. To manually inflate blow into the tube at your shoulder.” 

The stewardess droned on and on, but Victor while he had caught most of it for some reason couldn’t make sense of her words any more. Victor shut his eyes tightly and turned his face to the side, fingers gripping the arms of his chair in a death grip. 

_I can’t do this._

He couldn’t do this. What if he did all this for nothing and then had to endure flying again back to Russia because Yuuri had made a mistake? 

A warmth danced over the back of his hand knocking Victor from his thoughts. Victor opened his eyes and looked down. Yuri didn’t look at him, but his hand tugged Victor’s away from the top of the seat arm. He threaded his fingers between Victor’s and squeezed gently. 

Victor took a few deep breaths and squeezed his hand back gratefully. 

Suddenly the plane lurched forward, and Victor gave an undignified yelp of surprise. Yuri gritted his teeth and squeezed his hand _hard_. “Shh!” 

The plane gained momentum and at some point Victor’s stomach had decided to stay behind. There was a weird tug in the bottom of his stomach as the plane bumped and jumped, and then the nose of the plane went up, and Victor felt the bumping stop and the plane drug them up into the air. 

His hand squeezed Yuri’s tightly and he took another deep breath. 

“I swear to God if you freak out and leave me on this thing by myself I am going to kill you,” Yuri hissed, his face paler than it should have been. 

For better or worse, they were stuck in a thing that could plummet back to earth at any minute. 

This was not how Victor wanted to spend his day. 

\------

The plane ride had started out traumatically, but as soon as they had evened out and they were allowed to take off their belts and look around the cabin. While Yuri had taken the chance to get up, Victor had taken Yuri’s place in his seat to look out the window. 

It was odd sailing across the clouds but peaceful and beautiful. 

This was another first for him that had been facilitated by Yuuri. 

His heart pinched when he thought of Yuuri, his eyes sliding shut. 

Yuuri. 

He wanted to see him as soon as possible. 

Changing back to his own seat, the sound of running air conditioners in the cabin eventually lulled Victor to sleep. It felt like as soon as he had closed his eyes that someone was at his side shaking his shoulder. 

“Sir?” It was the woman that had made the announcement at the beginning of the flight. Victor blinked warily up at her as he sat up.

She smiled though it was pinched. “Do you think you could help us wake up your companion. He keeps cursing at us in Russian and rolling back over. We need to prepare for landing.” 

“Oh. Yes, sorry. He’s had a rough few days,” Victor apologized. 

She smiled. “It’s okay. He’s at a difficult age.” 

With that she stood up and moved back behind him. Victor rubbed at his eyes and sat up as he shook Yuri’s shoulder. 

“I want to sleep. Fuck off,” Yuri muttered in Russian. 

Victor rolled his eyes. “Yura. Wake up. The stewardess is upset because we need to land, and we’ve been keeping them from doing their jobs.” 

“Me sleeping is not going to kill everyone on board,” Yuri protested, sitting up with a yawn as buckled his belt. 

Victor smiled indulgently at the other and buckled his own belt. “You can sleep when we get to where we are going.” 

The descent wasn’t as nearly bad as the take off. Victor sighed and leaned back in his seat as the wheels came into contact and the plane bounced and settled as it coasted down the designated runway. It felt as if the plane was taking its time, but the longer the coasted, the more restless Victor felt. 

After all, Yuuri had texted him to let him know that he would be picking them up. 

“Yuuri…” Victor murmured under his breath quietly. 

Finally the plane came to a stop. Victor’s leg bounced as his fingers tapped on his thigh. Yuri rolled his eyes. “I texted Yuuri to let him know we landed.” 

Victor pouted. “I wanted to text Yuuri.” 

“You weren’t paying attention to the announcement that we could turn our phones back on. I figured you were still in lala-land and wanted to make sure at least one of us was responsible,” Yuri bit out. 

Victor sighed and unfastened his seatbelt when the light clicked off. Standing up, he pulled his backpack out from under the seat in front of him and pulled it on. He waited as a man who must have been the slowest person in the world walked down the middle aisle. 

It took a few more minutes to get around him and move up the ramp with Yuri in tow. It took less time to find their luggage as a woman met them at the gate and simply told them, “We have associates that have taken care of everything on behalf of Mr. Katsuki.” 

“Thank you.” Victor and Yuri exchanged glances. The woman politely nodded and moved away back into the multitude of people streaming out of the plane and mingling together either coming off of a flight or going somewhere. 

Another woman approached and smiled, guiding them to the side and through a door. Victor followed her as they were again led around customs and immigration and through the working areas. 

At a specific door, the woman nodded and opened it. “Your associates are waiting just outside the front doors. Thank you for flying with us today.” 

Victor held his breath for a second and nodded to the woman before Yuri tipped his head to the outside. “Well, you’ve been waiting for this for days. Come on, idiot.” 

Yuri was right. He _had_ been waiting for four whole days to be reunited with Yuuri and confirm that they were going to be taken care of and okay. Stepping outside the glass doors of the airport, Victor shielded his eyes from the sun. 

There were all sorts of people outside the airport. Families, individuals, couples and then there were men dressed in dark business suits wearing dark glasses. In the middle of all the men stood Yuuri, wearing the same kind of suit and next to him a woman in a pair of slacks and a light blue shirt with a flowing scarf. 

The woman turned their way and motioned to Yuuri. The other looked up and smiled, lifting his hand towards Victor. 

Without thinking, Victor started to run. 

He weaved between the men, some of them crying out in surprise as he crashed into Yuuri and wrapped his arms around him. “Yuuri!” 

Yuuri staggered back but managed to keep them upright. He laughed and wrapped his arms around Victor in turn. Victor buried his nose into Yuuri’s shoulder as all the tension drained out of his body. 

He was here. He hadn’t changed his mind. 

_Yuuri_. 

“This is so fucking gross,” Yuri muttered as he scuffed his shoes on the sidewalk, hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. Yuuri cleared his throat and gently pulled Victor away from him as he looked him over. 

“How is your neck?” Yuuri asked softly 

“It’s okay. I definitely feel a lot better now. I stopped taking the medicine that Phichit gave me.” Victor wrapped one of his arms around one of Yuuri’s. 

“Yuuri, were you going to introduce us?” The woman beside him frowned, her arms crossed over her chest as she studied him. Victor blinked and stared at her getting a better look at her close up. 

She was absolutely beautiful. 

The woman had dark grey eyes and long brown hair. Under her left eye she had a beauty mark and soft pink lips that curved up into a challenging smile as she winked at Victor. She was slender and it almost looked as if she had a dancer’s body. She was just the type of woman that would look nice beside Yuuri. 

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Yuuri turned and nodded his head towards her as he turned back to Victor. 

“This is Minako Okukawa. She is an associate of my mother’s. They went to school together, and she tutored me when I was younger in pretty much all areas. She has agreed to take on both you and Yuri until you are able to keep up with people your age in school,” Yuuri explained. 

Minako smiled and nodded her head at him and Victor felt a little of that dread lift. “So you’ll be my teacher? It’s nice to meet you.” 

Victor held out his hand and Minako grabbed it, squeezing his. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Victor. Yuuri has filled me in on everything. I am looking forward to help you and Yuri succeed.” Minako grinned. She turned and looked at Yuri who swayed back and forth, eyes half lidded. 

Clapping her hands she called out. “Let’s head out. We have a lengthy drive back, and our guests look tired.” 

The men around them had already collected their luggage and a SUV was pulled forward. Yuuri opened the door to the back and motioned for Victor and Yuri to climb in before he slid the door shut. 

Minako took the driver's seat, and Yuuri took the front passenger seat. 

Yuri leaned against Victor’s shoulder, eyes fighting to stay open. Victor was tired as well, but he really didn’t want to miss any of the sights around them. Reaching up, he pressed his hand to the crown of Yuri’s head. “Hey, you can sleep now. I’ll wake you when we get there.” 

“M’not tired.” Yuri tried to bat his hand away with no success. 

Victor smiled and ruffled his hair gently as the younger teen fell into a light slumber. Victor shifted back and got comfortable for Yuri to lean on him. The younger teen may have looked obstinate, but he really wasn’t. 

“He must have been really tired.” Yuuri turned to watch them for a moment with a small smile. 

“Yeah, the flight really took it out of us.” Victor gave Yuuri a weary smile. 

Yuuri hummed in agreement. “You look tired yourself. Why don’t you rest too?” 

“Oh no, I couldn’t! I am too keyed up from the flight really, and I slept the whole way here so I wouldn’t miss a thing. You know, Yuuri, that was my first flight, and I was so worried the entire time, but Yuri held my hand. So I can do this for him,” Victor explained without taking a breath. 

Yuuri blinked and a gentle smile split on his features. “Well, as long as you’re sure.” 

“I’m more hungry than anything,” Victor confessed. 

“Well good thing. We will eat when we get where we are going. Also, Victor I have already plotted out your curriculum to accommodate for the time lost learning. We will talk more about that later. Is there anything maybe that you would like to do that you haven’t gotten a chance to explore?” Minako asked him. 

Victor bit his lower lip. 

How could you respond to that? He wanted to try _everything_

“You don’t have to decide right now but definitely think about it. We can kick around some ideas together.” Minako assured him with a grin. 

“Yes. I look forward to it!” Victor told her with a bright smile. 

Then something struck him and he frowned. “Hey Yuuri?” 

Yuuri turned back around to look at him. “Yeah?” 

“Where is Phichit?” Victor turned and looked through all the men. Though knowing Phichit if he had been there, then he probably would have already come up and sat with them or at least acknowledged they were there. 

“He wanted to stay behind to make sure everything was ready for you and Yuri,” Yuuri told him. 

Victor nodded at the response and turned away to watch the scenery go by. 

The ride to the onsen captivated Victor. He watched as the scenery changed from lots of buildings to more foliage the further and further they traveled on their journey. When the SUV came to a stop, Victor was almost disappointed that the trip had ended. 

Almost. 

He probably would have pouted more had he not taken a look at the large place they had stopped in front of. It wasn’t a mansion, and there were people coming and going through the front mingling with some of the men in dark suits. 

A banner hung outside with the name of the establishment in Japanese. 

“This is my home,” Yuuri told Victor with a small grin. With that Yuuri gets out of the car, and Minako followed suit. 

The men that had been in the back chatting quietly had already passed Yuri and Victor to unpack their luggage. Victor gently woke Yuri who whined and turned his face against Victor’s shoulder. 

“Come on, Yura. We are at our new home,” he urged the sleepy teenager. That seemed to do the trick as Yuri tensed and sat up unbuckling the seat belt and hopping out of the transport to look at their new home. 

Yuri wasted no time darting towards the entrance of the establishment with Minako trailing after him. 

Victor, however, took his time. He grabbed Yuri’s backpack and then his own, stepping down out of their transportation. He looked up at the large place that Yuuri called his home and couldn’t make his feet move an inch towards it. 

This was Yuuri’s home. 

This was now his home too. 

Then why weren’t his legs moving? 

Yuuri stood to the side of the main gate. Victor studied him for a moment before the older man turned back towards him. “Victor? Is something wrong?” 

Victor licked his lower lip and smiled apologetically. “I’m just nervous I guess.” 

Yuuri took in his appearance and approached, gently taking Yuri’s backpack from him. He reached out threading his fingers with Victors as he tugged him to and through the large wooden doors. “Everyone is going to love you. Trust me.” 

Trust him. 

Hadn’t that been what Yuuri had said all along? 

He had to try and do better at that. Yuuri hadn’t done anything to him to hurt him ever, and he wasn’t going to do it now. 

“Okay. Yeah.” Victor let go of Yuuri’s hand and slowly shuffled inside with Yuuri close behind. 

\----

For everything that Victor had been expecting Yuuri’s home to look like, this was not it. Victor stopped and looked around. Everything was made out of dark wood, and the front area was very done up in traditional hot springs decor. The whole place smelled of wood and just _fresh_. 

It was very peaceful. 

How were these people involved in anything like what Yuuri did at all? Did they even know?

“Welcome to Yutopia Katsuki,” Yuuri greeted as he slipped his shoes off. Victor hastily did the same. 

“Yuu-chan is that you?” a woman called out. 

“Yes mother, it’s me,” Yuuri called back. 

When Yuuri had told him that his mother and father had agreed to have Victor and Yuri stay in exchange for help around the hot springs they ran, he had expected Yuuri’s parents to look a certain way. However, his breath caught in his throat as Yuuri’s mother stepped out from behind a sliding door. She turned and shut the door behind her and moved more into view as she clasped her hands in front of her. 

She looked exactly like Yuuri would have if he had been a woman. 

She was _tiny_ in stature but plump. Her eyes were warm and inviting and she was dressed in the working garb for the hot springs. She stopped and pressed her hand to her mouth and gasped in surprise. “Yuuri, is this....?” 

Yuuri nodded and stepped to the side. “Victor, this is my mother, Hiroko Katsuki.” 

“I knew that…she looks just like you,” Victor murmured. 

Hiroko smiled at him and took a small step forward. Victor jumped and flinched back, looking to Yuuri unsure and then back at his mother. He hadn’t meant to jump, but instead of seeing anything unsure or angry on her face, she just smiled soothingly at him and stepped forward again hands up as if she was afraid of spooking him. 

Yuuri stood to the side, watching over them both with a soft smile. 

Finally, when she was close enough, she adjusted her glasses and smiled beautifully up at him. “Hello Vicchan. Yuuri did a good job of picking two more sons for me to help raise into fine young men. I know I don’t know everything you’ve gone through, but you’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you again.”

Some part of him finally broke. He could feel the crunch in his chest as he let out a soft strangled noise. This woman smiled beautifully at him and told him he was safe. 

He believed her. God, did he believe her. 

All the strength went out of his legs as he fell to his knees at her feet. Victor reached out wrapping his arms around her waist as he buried his face into his stomach and sobbed, refusing to let go of her. 

Home. 

He was _home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the end of part one of three fics that I have planned for this story. You didn't think I would leave it on a cliff hanger like this did you? It may take a while but please look forward to part two!

**Author's Note:**

> So here we are. 
> 
> I really enjoyed getting to be a part of the Big Bang On Ice family and getting to work on something I've really wanted to do. Big thank you to the other writers, artists and the staff that made it such a great event to be a part of. Definitely a huge shout out to [Pome](https://galaktidong.tumblr.com) and [Bracari](http://bracari.tumblr.com/) who were the easiest and most awesome artists to work with. If you haven't checked out their work before please do so right now! 
> 
> Also, thank you to my beta [dreamerxatxheart](http://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerxatxheart/pseuds/dreamerxatxheart) whom without this story would be a little less put together. They are also a fantastic writer, so go check out there works on the link above! 
> 
> If you liked this story, please comment or kudos and let us know!


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